Bulletproof
by DreamedUp
Summary: ItaNaru, AU, full summary inside. Naruto Uzumaki, the young agent of Justice in the organisation of Akatsuki gets to work in pair with the legendary Uchiha Itachi, on a top secret mission of retreating the stolen memory-eraser. Will they survive it?
1. Bulletproof Prologue

Name: Bulletproof  
Rating: T, just to be on a safe side  
Pairing: ItaNaru  
Disclaimer: Kishimoto only owns the characters, I own the fantasy!  
Warnings: AU, future sort-of, some violence, character death (minor one).  
**Summary:** Naruto Uzumaki, code name Kyuubi, the young agent of Justice in the organisation of Akatsuki gets to work in pair with the legendary Uchiha Itachi, code name Raven, on a top secret mission of retreating the stolen memory-eraser. But their paths and missions are different and their pasts are what nobody deserves to live through, and they hurt each other too much to let love save their souls. The question arises in both their hands. What is Justice?

* * *

'Will you… kill me?'

On his knees. Blood staining everything, dripping even from eyelashes. Dirt covering hair, making it look greyish to the point it's impossible to recognize its original colour. And the eyes. Desperate.

Quite a pathetic view. The police would be coming soon, they both knew it. They needed to hurry, but one of them didn't really care.

'Please…'

He was begging now. Pathetic. Who would have thought he was the best agent of Justice, had they seen him now, weak and broken!

'No. You have to stay alive. That is an order'

And the man sobbed. He hid his face, stained in blood, in his hands, no cleaner, and his body started shaking. Shaking with those loud, annoying and broken sobs. Hopeless. He never wanted to become Justice. His family made him. That same family that was now dead in the living room that was once filled with joy and love. Now only full of mourning and hatred. His family was dead. Killed all of them save for his sibling. He was their killer. He was their Judge.

'The police is coming soon. We need to go'

'Leave me here. I don't want to go anywhere'

Ridiculous. Stupid. Outrageous. That was what the other man thought. Or that was what they taught him to thin. His heart was locked behind the bars so that his tears wouldn't be lonely in that cage. At the working hours he knew not what pity was. He knew not why sympathy existed. World was either right or wrong.

Self-delusion.

'Think of your brother. If he finds out you did this, his health will worsen even more than if he thought somebody slaughtered him but left you to comfort him'

But the other was shaking and crying. His hair stuck to his face and the blood stains mixed with dirt and tears and ran down his face and chin and fell on the ground.

'Stop it' he shouted at the weeping man. 'Stop it! I command you' he ordered the best agent of Justice. 'If you do not I will have to tell the organisation' he said sternly.

'God damn this organization. Oh God, damn it!' shouted the other with an angry, loud, scary voice. That of a broken man. 'Akatsuki. Who ever thought it a good name for an organization of Justice? I ask you, do you even believe in what they tell you?'

'I have to.' The other answered. The perfect agent of Justice laughed hysterically, tears leaking from his eyes, and the cage started shattering in the other man's chest.

'Do you really believe there really is somebody more wrong than the other? Do you really believe somebody deserves to live more than the other?'

'I have to' the other whispered barely audible. Ashamed.

'Do you really think somebody has the right to decide who deserves to live and who doesn't?' the man whispered as quiet as his colleague.

Was there ever a real cage in Naruto's heart or was it all just a good pretend game the psychologists of the Akatsuki couldn't detect. Wasn't it all just a façade he put on so that he would be a better agent, a better person, just like his idol? But his idol was now crying and laughing hysterically on the floor among his dead parents whom the cruel organization ordered him to eliminate.

Maybe, there was no cage. Naruto just learnt to be quiet.

'Will you kill me?' the man whispered again. 'Please…'

There was no cage, Naruto decided, and kneeled next to the best agent of Justice. He put his hand on the other's shoulder and lifted his face with the palm of his other hand. The man's empty black eyes stared back at him and Naruto whispered:

'I'm so sorry, Itachi'

The man stared in Naruto's eyes for a long time. The police sirens broke the silence.

'We should go. I won't tell anyone'

Itachi nodded and stood up. They exited the building.


	2. Chapter 1 Painproof

Ok, sorry for the long wait, I had a week off from my college, and I went to London with my mom and I didn't have enough time. But since I had time to think it through this chapter is hopefully interesting for you. And it's longer than my usual chapters of multichapter fics. So, I hope you'll enjoy this fanfic.

Oh, and thank you all that reviewed the previous chapter, it means a lot to me. Special thanks is to **swence**, because even though she was sad she still read my fic and still reviewed. I appreciate it.

Name: Bulletproof  
Rating: T, just to be on a safe side  
Pairing: ItaNaru  
Disclaimer: Kishimoto only owns the characters, I own the fantasy!  
Warnings: AU, future sort-of, some violence, character death (minor one).  
**Summary:** Naruto Uzumaki, code name Kyuubi, the young agent of Justice in the organisation of Akatsuki gets to work in pair with the legendary Uchiha Itachi, code name Raven, on a top secret mission of retreating the stolen memory-eraser. But their paths and missions are different and their pasts are what nobody deserves to live through, and they hurt each other too much to let love save their souls. The question arises in both their hands. What is Justice?

* * *

**Chapter 1  
Painproof

* * *

**

The room was dead. It seemed so every time Naruto entered it. Not only that room but his whole apartment although small – smaller than he was used to – was dead. White walls, perfect white ceiling without any rifts or cracks to look at when you want to fall asleep, black furniture, black teapot, black cups and even black spoons. Brand-new. Dead.

Sometimes at night he wondered whether somebody once lived there, slept on the same bed as he, ate from the same plates – black and porcelain – and drank the same dirt called tea. Maybe, they were a person from Europe. Or, as it might be, just like Naruto from Japan. Were they at fault for killing this apartment? At night, while trying to find a crack on the ceiling to help himself fall asleep, he wondered if the person who lived before him in the apartment died here. He wondered if they were killed.

And also he wondered if they were given this apartment by the organization, just like Naruto.

Naruto opened the door but stopped as his senses started fooling him again. It seemed that although the action has already been made and even unmade, he could hear still the sound of the key slowly entering the keyhole, not completely enough to fit, so that the door would be opened, but as if this key was for some other door from another apartment, perhaps smaller than his, but probably livelier, as he liked to think that other apartment was, and with more people in it than just him. Or, perhaps, it was just the wrong key.

However, the door was opened long ago and Naruto had to insert his palm into his pocket and squeeze the knife, so that the skin would be split up and draw blood – this always brought him into the reality. The key unable to fit into the keyhole disappeared and he stepped aside to let another man into his apartment.

'We'll have to stay at mine for a while, that's what they told me' he informed another man, taking out his palm from the pocket of his jeans. When Itachi looked at the other's hand, there was no blood.

Uchiha needed to be alert. He had to inspect the place, because the boy seemed unreliable, not trustworthy enough, or worse, trusting to the organization enough to let them intrude into his personal life. The kitchen was clean. No food that would characterize his character, no dirty dishes, nothing out of ordinary, that would betray the boy's nature. Clean.

Bedroom was grimly white. Was it the boy's character to be that clean? The walls were absolutely ordinary, furniture too, nothing like a poster of a favorite rock group or computer game.

The living room was empty. No sign of living. Not even a CD or film lying around near the expensive TV.

Washroom was at least closer to something you would live in. There was toothpaste and a toothbrush, razor, blue, quite simple, although never used – Itachi could always tell, and if you looked very closely, with the eyes the Uchiha had, you could see small droplets of blood, arterial, as Itachi could always tell, on the sink, perhaps the kid forgot to wash them away.

'Now you trust me?' he appeared behind the other's back, as if he had a power of some animal to walk soundlessly. Itachi turned to face him but before he looked into the boy's eyes he saw a small glitter – it must be a necklace of some sort. _The only personal thing the boy has at all._

'Not really. You should never trust anyone either' he told the boy sternly, although he used to be much more apathetic towards anything and anyone around him, but it was probably the latest mission that made him emotional.

'Would you like something to drink? You look pale and you are exhausted' Naruto continued, paying no mind to the advice he already heard from too many people to believe to be something that would make him safe. Was that all the great agent of Justice could do? Was that the limit? Was killing his own family his breaking point?

Those were the questions Akatsuki wanted him to answer at least, but what interested Naruto personally was how _didn't_ Itachi break for such a long time.

'Whatever you drink yourself will be alright… forgot your name'

'I never told you. It's Kyuubi' Naruto answered and almost gone for tomato juice – his favorite – but stopped himself, lest Itachi would know his habits.

'No, not your code name, your real one'

'Why would you need one?'

'You know my real name and you know quite a lot about my personal life. That would be quite unfair if I knew less about you, wouldn't it?'

Itachi watched as the boy thought, processed his words and tried to come up with an escape. The kid played with fire – that was for sure, it was shown on his face, or at least such an observation was possible for Itachi's eyes.

'It would be very unjust too, don't you think?'

Justice. The concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, fairness, religion or equity. The society needed it. Always did and always would. Justice.

The world had gone mad these past couple of centuries. Blood – that's what was unjust. People thought it right to execute others for a selfish reason of needing to live on the stolen money. Stupid. Pathetic. Unjust.

World War II for example. Was it just? Was killing people of other races fair? Were their policies and ideas correct? They were in the wrong and they weren't punished enough. Hundred years passed since that war and people are still racists, people still despise each other and kill, breaking the law, avenging their poor hurt souls.

That was why Akatsuki appeared. To bring Justice. The world deserved it. Yes, they killed, but only the unjust ones. The law was, that any human being is innocent when just born, no matter what colour they are or race. They were innocent and that meant they were just. Akatsuki watched them though, in order to be there when the person slips, does something wrong. Then Akatsuki had to decide how they should treat this person. For the worst crimes they killed.

Itachi felt tired and sick and was glad the other caught him in time. Hitting the hard floor with his head would have been too painful.

'You hurt?'

'Just a little'

'Show me'

'I don't trust you'

Naruto put the man on the sofa and told him to lie still. He hurried for the water, Itachi seemed to be burning. There by the sink of his kitchen he wanted not to think of what he thought. _How would this man's blood taste?_

'Not again' he whispered and felt the thirst hit him and in his ears the ringing and whispering of those incoherent words. Intuition – that's what the doctor in the laboratory told him. _Itachi… dying…_ was that his intuition?

'Here' Itachi heard from somewhere above the boy's somewhat weak voice. It was water. But he hesitated.

'Naruto'

'What?'

'That's my name'

Itachi looked closely at the boy, but his vision seemed blurred – must be his injury.

'Perhaps, I won't tell you half as much about myself as I know about you, but they told me my folder will arrive soon and you will be able to know all about me, just as I know all about you'

'All about me?' Itachi tried laughing but his lungs hurt too much. 'So you know who my first love was, why I joined the organization and why I had to kill my whole family apart from my brother?'

Naruto nodded.

'Those are just facts, boy. You know nothing about me'

'I know you're hurt'

For some reason Itachi wanted to cry again. But he couldn't. Long ago he lost the ability to do so, regaining it only last night when he was around the corpses of his parents. Now he couldn't.

'Here. Drink some water'

The boy's shirt had a small stain of the same blood as Itachi saw in the bathroom's sink. It was fresh, as if the boy gained it while pouring the water for Itachi.

'Thank you… Naruto, is it?'

'Yup, that's my name, don't wear it out!'

Strange, Itachi thought, was that how he talked to his friends?

Although the strange thing would be if this Naruto had friends while being an agent of a secret, almost illegal organization.

'So, Naruto… exactly why are you here with me and know my name and personal information?'

The boy smiled at him suddenly.

'Simple!' he said, this kid. So happy. 'I'm your new partner!'

The man looked at Naruto without emotion, like he used to. This way agent Raven looked at every pupil in the Academy, when he had to visit and give some practice lessons. After all Akatsuki wanted their agents-in-progress to know what they had to be after they graduated. And with this look the best agent of Justice walked around: cold, bored and calculating. Because the person provoked no emotion in Justice – her eyes are always closed, the personality is insignificant, but the value is what counts. But that was the look of agent Raven, the best there are in Akatsuki, not Itachi Uchiha – the man Naruto saw broken with the knowledge he killed his family. Naruto didn't trust the Raven.

'Too young' was what Raven told him.

'I'm the best there is, after yourself of course' replied Kyuubi. If Itachi wanted to be official, Naruto would be too.

'I find it hardly possible at your age. Have you at all graduated?'

'Indeed I have, and I'm not as young as one may think'

'How old are you then?'

'Sixteen'

'Just as I thought'

This kid thought he would be the match for Itachi. That was probably some stupid mistake. This boy wasn't even trying to hide his personality for long enough. How would he know Itachi won't use this information against him?

'I am the best there could be. Not everyone graduates at fifteen, you know'

'You're making mistakes. That is unprofessional'

'Unless I choose to do so'

'Excuse me?'

The man just wouldn't understand him. Or perhaps Naruto was bound to that: they always underestimated him. But he learnt to take advantage of it. Not with Itachi though. For some reason, with this man he wanted to be a real partner, not just two people working together.

'I mean that the reason why I showed you who I am a little, is because I chose to trust you. That is my decision'

'Why do you think I won't betray you?' this Naruto kid was an idiot.

'My instinct tells me so. I'm used to trust it'

That was only partly reasonable. Although he had to agree, sometimes he was able to finish the mission alive only because he trusted his intuition.

'Kid, your instinct is wrong. If I need to I will use any information on you to destroy you. And whatever you say too. If that is Just of course.'

Naruto shook his head and smiled. Itachi wouldn't understand.

'No, you won't. I know that. Even more, I am absolutely sure. Anyone but me'

'And why is that?'

'Don't know yet. But I've a feeling I won't betray you either. Now show me your injury'

Itachi looked suspiciously at Naruto, not quite trusting, but somehow accepting his help. He lifted his shirt and showed the boy his broken ribs. Naruto whistled.

'Who did that?'

'My father.' Itachi closed his eyes painfully. Too vivid, those images. Sometimes he wished his memory would be erased. Or the memory of a couple of hours ago at least. The memory of slaughtering his family. The boy touched his ribs and it hurt like hell. Itachi opened his eyes and made a loud exhale.

'Sorry. That bad?'

Somebody knocked.

Pain and memory aside. Now they must be quiet. Who knew for what reason the two monotonous knocks on the front door were heard, but the reason had a 90 percent chance of being very dangerous. The life of agent of Justice made it so. Naruto touched his suffogun and Itachi saw a blink of an animal in the boy's blue but somewhat wild eyes.

Kyuubi went quietly for the door. Nobody would hear his steps – his special technique he learnt after… no time for bad memories. In a couple of seconds the agent pointed his suffogun at the door. It was the best way, the gun worked through any surfaces apart from human's lungs – that was the target of it. Once you pull the trigger the person shot starts suffocating and that buys time, even if they have an antidote. Naruto didn't like any other more dangerous types of weapons, although he didn't like suffoguns much either. But at least these didn't kill the person unless you shoot three times. Then the lungs get squashed inside of the body. Kyuubi held his breath.

The knocks sounded again.

'What do you want?'

'Special message for agent Kyuubi from Akatsuki' the bored voice said. Naruto pointed the gun straighter at the door.

'Anything else?'

They must say the code, or Kyuubi has to shoot. That would be the only way, since if it was an ambush, they would have already been blocking most of the secret exits from the apartment. There probably were more than one person per entrance, but Naruto could deal with that. So could Itachi. He was the Raven after all.

'Yes. Akatsuki wanted me to remind you: Justice has its eyes closed'

That was the code, but still Naruto should not trust the person outside. They could have found out the secret code, and that could still be an ambush.

Carefully Naruto opened the door for just a small millimeter. The person outside pushed an envelope through. On it there was a seal of a red moon – Akatsuki. Kyuubi took the message and heard the quiet footsteps. The person left, and its smell too.

'Who was that?' the voice appeared behind Naruto, but he wasn't surprised, as Itachi might have hoped.

'Didn't tell me his name. From Akatsuki. I guess, the information about a new mission, for which they assigned me your partner, has arrived'

'New mission? Already?'

'I'm afraid yes. But we'll still fix your ribs and internal bleeding before we start'

'I don't have internal bleeding'

'You do'

Itachi looked closely at the agent Kyuubi – now that he remembered, it was the clumsiest student when he was fourteen – the age when they start training. But one day Itachi came to the class and agent Kyuubi wasn't present. He asked others but they didn't know anything. As if they'd forgotten him at all. The officials later on told him agent Kyuubi was transferred to a higher class of education. Itachi remembered his surprise, since he could never teach the stupid kid even the basics. And now he was on special studying. Strange, he thought then.

Strange, he thought now too, since a few minutes later Itachi felt better even though Naruto didn't actually start 'fixing him up', as the boy said. He just touched him. Where the kid touched some strange warmness spread. As if he had some special power in his genetics that could cure anything.

'The best thing would be if I brought you to the doctor, but agents of Justice don't have such a luxury as to walk freely on the street. I'll have to use that machine, but it's painful'

'Yeah, I know'

The machine was experimental in common medicine, but for the agents of Justice the mechanism that could cure any injury in just a couple of hours, was used freely even though afterwards the weakness spread through the body and the patient risked dying if not treated by a partner. Itachi used it many times alone and survived though, but Naruto was reluctant to turn the machine on even when he told him that.

'I'll survive the pain and I'll survive later. After all you're with me, remember? Just turn it on, I'm ready!' he told the boy.

After another reluctant gaze at his partner Naruto pushed the button.

Oh, the pain. Itachi almost forgot the feel of it. He winced and his face contorted into some grimace. His fists hit the floor for a couple of times.

Naruto watched as the man struggled to regain his composure. His fingers trembled, his face contorted with pain. His eyes shut and opened every few seconds and his breathing became ragged, as if he ran a hundred miles without stopping. The tubes connected to his ribs with the small needles and which made his body regenerate on an enormous speed, shook as Itachi convulsed every two minutes.

It was impossible to look at, the man was in pain and Naruto hated it when people were in pain. He had to stop this somehow, but he couldn't, since the machine was only helping the body to heal. So he stood up and left.

The key in the keyhole sounded again in Naruto's ears and he had to shake his head violently to make it go away. Why? Why was it happening so often today? Usually it was once or twice a week, but after he took this man into his dead apartment, these fits became more frequent.

Intuition, was it again? Something was wrong, something about Itachi Uchiha, the brother of his ex-best friend, was wrong. But what? Or was it that Itachi knew what was wrong with Naruto? He needed answers, but he doubted there were any.

_How would his blood taste?_

Make it stop!

'Ah!'

Itachi was in pain. Naruto felt it physically. That brought him back to reality. What he needed to do now was to go to the man and try helping him. Stupid fits and stupid intuition could wait.

'Hey, you know what?'

Itachi opened his eyes once more. This kid, what was his name… Naruto, right, he was sitting on the floor near Itachi, looking at him, smiling. The pain was unbearable as usual, but the boy's presence made it obligatory to keep his composure – that was the problem. At these periods keeping a straight face was impossible.

'W… What?' he answered after a while, remembering the boy asked him a question.

'I remembered the time when I was ten and my parents took me out for the picnic and I met this really cool guy, Negi was it? But anyway, he was cold and distant and talked about destiny all the time. What an idiot! And he hurt his cousin, and since she was a girl I thought it wasn't right, even though she was his relative and so I got into a fight with him and afterwards I had this really cool bruise under my eyes and Negi had a broken nose!'

Funny guy, Itachi thought. Why was he telling him this. But Itachi had to confess, there weren't a lot of people who were of the same character as this boy. Protecting a girl. Quite noble.

'And this Negi was so boring and acted like a real prick, but I kicked him in the shin once and told him to shut up about destiny, because it can take over'

'Take o… over?' the pain again, but Itachi had to listen.

'Yeah, I mean if you really believe that you're so unhappy and stuff and that's because of the destiny, it takes over and your future is in its hands, not yours. It's like when you dreamt a scary dream and start thinking a lot about it, they say you shouldn't do so, or it will come true'

For some reason this story was relieving. Pain not really subsided but was forgotten as the boy continued to tell the stories about his and this Negi's friendship. Funny thing was, Itachi was interested. Or maybe that was just the pain hurting his brain.

'…And you know why I remembered Negi?'

'Wh… why?'

'Because he reminds me of you a little. You're so cold and with a stick up your ass, and you have long black hair too, isn't it so cool? I always envied people with black hair! That makes them so mysterious. My hair is cool too, but not mysterious'

'Mysterious doesn't always m… mean it's in a go… good way' he stuttered a lot. Pain intensified. Mysterious, he said, huh? Stupid boy. Itachi's brother always envied him when he was younger. And what did it bring him to? Drugs and pain. Sasuke became a criminal. He signed himself out of Akatsuki's Just list. They wanted his head now.

Good thing Sasuke was able to get them off his tail. Bad thing he was dying because of that anyway. Nobody would be counted as Just if they killed an already dying person.

Itachi wanted to die too.

Naruto blabbed on, trying to make his partner concentrate on his ramblings, distracting him from pain. For some time the man was even taken in, interested, admiring something, but suddenly his eyes dulled and pain was taking over again and then he heard Itachi's heartbeat speeding up, racing, as if it was rabbit's one and the poor animal tried to escape the fox or the hunter. Itachi closed his eyes tiredly or maybe not, Naruto could only hear the man's heartbeat racing, the tubes shaking, the body convulsing.

What was going on?

He said he always survived the machine, why wasn't he now? The injuries weren't half as serious as any agent could get during a mission, Itachi shouldn't have a problem with surviving!

Although afterwards it was a miracle that he woke up without a partner's assistance. After the machine the organs could just stop functioning and only a partner could help, knowing all the other's medical information.

But Itachi's heart was going crazy now, and Naruto was panicking.

And then the sound left his ears altogether. Why, he thought, I don't even hear the beeping of the machine. For a second he couldn't comprehend what was going on.

And then it hit him. Itachi's heart has stopped.

The room was dead. Sometimes, lying awake at night, Naruto wondered if somebody had died in there. But at this second he wondered if his new friend would die.

* * *

_To be continued…

* * *

_


	3. Chapter 2 Hopeproof

I kind of struggled over this one, cuz nothing serious happens here, the chapter is quite static, but full of memories and stuff, and I'm still not good enough with detailed actions. I hope this chapter is good though, and interesting for you all that are reading me.

Name: Bulletproof  
Rating: T, just to be on a safe side  
Pairing: ItaNaru  
Disclaimer: Kishimoto only owns the characters, I own the fantasy!  
Warnings: AU, future sort-of, some violence, character death (minor one).  
**Summary:** Naruto Uzumaki, code name Kyuubi, the young agent of Justice in the organisation of Akatsuki gets to work in pair with the legendary Uchiha Itachi, code name Raven, on a top secret mission of retreating the stolen memory-eraser. But their paths and missions are different and their pasts are what nobody deserves to live through, and they hurt each other too much to let love save their souls. The question arises in both their hands. What is Justice?

* * *

**Chapter 2  
Hopeproof

* * *

**

When Naruto was twelve, he remembered, they came to his house and inserted it inside him. And while he was struggling to keep breathing, trying not to drown in his own vomit, keeping his eyes closed lest the tears would fall – they still fell and the sobs and cries and shrieks of pain too – they handled his parents.

When the little boy came to, when the pain went away and he was still alive, crying out of happiness now, for he was alive, he survived! – they put him on his knees and held so in place, someone's hand grabbing his hair, so that his eyes would be able to see the scene before him. He wanted to shriek now and shout for help, but couldn't because they gagged him. His parents were tied to the chairs, their eyes blindfolded, their faces bleeding.

And they started it – his parents' torture.

That night he screamed himself sore and couldn't talk for months afterwards. But nobody heard him, because of the sock in his mouth and the hands holding him in place.

He experienced the 'fits' then for the first time. It came out as a roar of despair and rage. He wanted blood, he needed it, to survive, to _avenge_, but they still held him in place and he was too weak after the drug they inserted the moment they came.

They left in the morning, when Naruto was reacting no more, his eyes wide, his throat sore and his body unmoving. His parents were dead then. He lay on the cold floor alone, no more tears flowing down his face.

Itachi jerked and opened his eyes, breathing in deeply and rapidly, as if panicking.

'Fucking idiot! You better not do this again or I'll kill you myself!'

He looked at the other, who was above him, panting and sweating, his eyes glimmering with that wildness again. Something was stinging on the left side of his chest and he looked down to see what the source was.

Area around his heart oozed blood. It did so because it was held by the tan palm. And huge claws were splitting the skin.

Naruto removed his hand quickly, and when Itachi looked at the fingers again the claws were gone. Instead there were usual human nails, only dripping still with Itachi's blood. He knew better than to ask.

'What's it to you if I died or not?'

'Why you…'

'You're showing your character to me too much. I might kill you tomorrow if I wanted to, using your weak points. Is there a reason you graduated as early as at the age of fifteen?'

Naruto looked incredulously at the man. He almost died just seconds ago and Naruto used up quite a lot of strength to save him, and Itachi was talking as officially as he used to. Although now his mocking was more like Sasuke's used to be. He flinched at the memory. Sasuke…

The boy didn't answer but looked strangely through Itachi, and that was something he didn't like. Was the boy remembering something? He wasn't angry anymore, although Itachi had the childish urge to enrage him a few seconds ago. That was something he usually could control – the childish things – but today for some reason they all just slipped through, and it was himself who he should scold for showing too much of his character, not Naruto. But, perhaps, Itachi could be pardoned for the time being – after all it was his parents that he killed just a few hours ago.

'What are you thinking about, Naruto?' he asked, surprising himself. He was interested for some reason in that boy's thoughts. Why? He never found anyone interesting enough to even talk to, especially not to wander about their thoughts. So why Naruto? How was he different?

'Huh? Oh, uh, nothing much. Just reminiscing about something. But we need to get you to bed now, and I know you've survived the machine a thousand times, but I'm not letting you walk for at least a couple of days' suddenly Naruto turned to be responsible and serious, as if talking to a child, and Itachi didn't know why that fact made him want to laugh, but it did.

'Yeah, I know. I almost died, didn't I? I understand in this case I need to be cautious' he answered as maturely as he could, which made him feel even more childish for some reason. What was this Naruto doing to him? Or was it just the after-effects of the mission?

Itachi's face became locked away again, Naruto noted. Was he remembering how he killed his own family right now? Did he want to cry again? Naruto wanted to know so much, but that could wait. He tried lifting the man from the ground but Itachi winced and Naruto put him down again.

'What's wrong?' he asked alarmed.

'Nothing. It will be painful anyway, just take me to the bed' the man told him and Naruto had to oblige.

He could remember the feeling, when they inserted the needle, it was cold and the liquid was hot, burning, fighting Naruto's body, and he thought that night he was going to die. Indeed, he found out years later, most did. But he didn't, he survived and that meant something. That meant his life wasn't usual one. It was important. He had to achieve something.

Sasuke told him once 'If you can't be the best, then be the worst. That's the drill with us, humans'. He was wrong then, because he became a criminal and now he was dying.

Sasuke used to be his friend. Best friend. Where did it all go wrong?

Itachi slept for two days and two nights. He rarely woke, and sometimes Naruto was so scared he died he had to hold his breath and put his face close, extremely close to the other man's, just to feel him breathing, just to hear his heart beat, just to listen to the blood moving inside of him. _How would his blood taste?_ His fits increased in their frequency, but decreased in their strength. Sometimes it was almost as if just a simple thought passed through Naruto's mind, not stopping all other processes, like it used to before.

At times he wondered how often Itachi saw his brother. Or did he at all? Being an agent of Justice means you can't be seen friendly with a criminal. But does it also mean you can't be their relative?

What is Justice then?

But those were stupid thoughts. Naruto tried doing something, but his apartment was empty and dead. There was nothing to do but think. He thought he got used to it, but not now, when Itachi could die any minute. Thoughts just wouldn't wonder around. Too concentrated on the man in Naruto's small bed. He hadn't had sleep for a long time, but Itachi looked like he hadn't sleep for longer.

So Naruto just waited.

Two more days. They managed to talk a little. They called from the organization. Naruto said Itachi was in no condition to start the mission. They asked if they opened the envelope yet. They didn't. Akatsuki said they could take their time, as the health of their best agent was important for them, but the mission was top secret and extremely important too.

_Just like killing your own parents, right?_

Malice. That's what appeared during his fits now. The soul-engulfing hateful malice. Each time he wanted to crush something, destroy that dead apartment, kill the voice from the telephone, saying what Naruto should do, _whom he should kill. _But what he wanted the most was to strangle Itachi. He hoped it was temporary.

'What are you thinking about?'

Naruto flinched, snapping out of his thoughts and looked at the man on his bed, whose dark eyes were now open.

'Oh, you're awake!' he said, although he thought he stopped saying useless things to strangers.

'What are you thinking about when your eyes become so…'

'What?' Naruto asked alarmed. 'So… what? What they become?'

'There's the glint of something in them' Itachi answered noting the boy's unease. Something is wrong there, he thought, he's hiding something.

'Uh, do they?' Naruto asked, alarmed suddenly. They never used to go out of control, he thought. Something was wrong. Something… he should ask the organization as soon as possible. 'Excuse me for a second'

He went out of the room and flipped open his phone. Five missed calls from Jiraya. He called every day. And Naruto never answered.

'Yes, agent Kyuubi' the voice said. 'You started the mission?'

'Not yet. I've got a problem connected with my fits'

Silence was heard and breathing. The voice was thinking.

'We'll check you after you complete the mission' they ended the call.

Naruto was acting strange, Itachi thought. He was looking worried a little and he couldn't stop snapping his fingers every five minutes. That meant he was panicking.

'So what are you thinking when you're like this?' he asked. He didn't know why he did, but he was just too curious. There was something terrifying in this boy's wild gaze.

'Well…' Naruto thought for a little. _How would his blood taste?_ He closed his eyes. 'At such times… I'm thinking about…' _your blood_. '…stuff probably. It's just I've this eye problem, you know, everyone gets it nowadays' Naruto stumbled through the words.

'You mean the one people die from?' Itachi asked, his eyes becoming cold and calculating.

'Uh… no, not that one' Naruto scratched at his cheek.

'Because this illness is killing the eye cells and then gets to the brain. And when you get this, you don't have a glint in the eye like you have, trust me, I've seen it' Itachi said. The boy shouldn't lie to him unless he wanted him to get into Naruto's soul and force the explanation out.

'Well, it's just my eyes probably. Nobody before you ever mentioned this to me' Naruto said. He looked at the time on his mobile phone and went for the food for Itachi, leaving him alone to rest.

But when the boy left him and didn't come back for five minutes, preparing the food probably, Itachi felt the same feeling squeezing at his heart. Will his body attempt to die again like it did during the machine session? He would like that.

He felt cold, even though there was a warm blanket on him, he was thirsty, although Naruto gave him some water ten minutes ago. His breathing became ragged, his eyes wanted to close. Sleep. After all that would be so much easier. No need to do all the things that he had to. No artificial boundaries, suffocating him, no blood, no tears, no agents and no Justice.

No parents and no brothers. Sasuke would understand, Itachi knew, he would. Or if he wouldn't, he was going to die soon anyway.

Just to close his eyes and rest. If he couldn't live like he dreamt when he was younger, what was the point of living? No horrible things to live through anymore, right? No pain, right?

No wild gaze, huge claws and blood on the shirt.

No! Itachi opened his eyes. He couldn't breathe, but he had to. Until he knew what that boy was, he couldn't die! He could save Itachi's life, what if he could save Sasuke's? He shuffled under the covers and ordered his heart to beat. The clock on the wall didn't work. He sat up and touched his forehead. He had a head ache.

'Were you bored without me, honey?' Naruto came in with a huge smile and laughed at his own joke. He had a tray in his hands and Itachi could smell food. Something unhealthy but so desired at the moment. He didn't remember when was the last time that he ate something of the kind. Probably when everything was fine. He didn't remember when that was either.

'My hands are shaking' he informed the other, not really asking him to help him, but making the boy offer help himself. Naruto smiled and didn't say anything. He put the tray on the bedside-table and took the bowl with the spoon.

'What's that?' Itachi asked and tried to strain his eyes to examine the food, but the action only resulted in worse headache. Naruto smiled again.

'It's noodle soup. Sorry, nothing more that I could cook' the boy laughed nervously. Itachi looked suspiciously at the food.

'It's not poisoned, is it?' he asked trying to activate his special sight but failing. Naruto laughed loudly. He laughed so hard the bowl almost spilled some soup on Itachi.

'Of course it is, because I'm really eager to do the extra hard mission alone. Oh, and have I mentioned I always kill the guys I admire?'

He smiled and the man chuckled. Was there anything else to say? Probably not. It was so new how Naruto didn't have much to say or didn't need to say a lot to make the other understand and to understand the other. Was it connected to his fits or was it connected to this man?

He held Itachi's back with his one hand and fed him from the spoon with his other. He was sitting on the bed, bowl with soup between his knees. Not too comfortable, but Itachi needed support right now.

'How do you know about my brother?' came the question when Naruto went to fill another spoonful of soup for the man. Not looking up he answered swiftly:

'From the folder of course'

'It doesn't say anything about my relatives in there. Unless you looked in the top secret one, which you didn't because only a selected few are allowed and rookies, no matter how genius, have no access'

Naruto looked startled for a second, pondering on something, not sure what to say, but searching for an answer in his head.

'Well, probably I'm an exception' he lied but Itachi didn't have to know the truth.

'Are you?' he didn't believe.

'I am' agent Kyuubi said, and Itachi saw the wild look the eyes got, the blue lightening up as if the colour was draining. Strange. Naruto was strange, Itachi thought. He never had met another person like the boy, not in Akatsuki anyway. Even those that didn't pass the academy, weren't the same. All were broken, dead from the inside, cold and hatred on their faces covering up pain and misery. All of them. Even Itachi was like that. But not Naruto. It was as if he managed to cover his personality behind the mask nobody could see through. And the boy opened up just for Itachi.

Just for him.

Maybe he could save Sasuke…

'No, you aren't' Itachi stated. It was impossible. The boy didn't meet the Leader yet, and only those had access to the information of top secrecy. Nobody has ever met the Leader among the agents apart from Itachi and those who created the organization with Leader. Agent Kyuubi wasn't that good. Or was he?

Naruto was silent. What could he say? He knew it was too much right now to talk about Itachi's brother. They weren't close, as much as Naruto would have wanted them to be.

'You said you'd tell me all kinds of personal stuff, so tell me how did you know I have a brother?' Itachi asked but Naruto refused to talk.

'I didn't promise to tell you everything' he answered the man and he understood: not close enough yet.

'Fine then. Why did you become an agent?' he asked the question he always asked everybody in the academy. They all usually answered they believed Justice is what the world needed right now and they wanted to save lives. They never said anything much different, and what they said was a lie – always. They didn't care. Not about the world. They cared only about their horrible pasts. Fat and happy people don't need to save the world with such violent methods. Fat and happy were calmer, quieter, more peace-searching, and, what was the most important, kinder.

Agents of Justice were anything but kind.

'Well…' Naruto thought for a moment, what he should tell Itachi. Was it worth telling at all? 'They just came and took me. One day they just came and made me come with them' he told him. Itachi nodded.

'That's what happened with me too' he answered.

Naruto remembered that day. That day two years after they killed his parents they came back and took him. They took him right from the ground where he lay after his fight with Sasuke. His last fight. That day he made his last attempt to save Sasuke from the life of a criminal, but he was too late then: Sasuke had killed already and he was quite able to kill his best friend – his ex-best friend.

The fight wasn't fair: Sasuke had a necrogun – the one that had flesh-eating bacteria inserted into the bullet – and an aim to kill, and Naruto only had an old-fashioned bulletgun and an aim to save a life. They weren't equal. But Sasuke knew about Naruto's little secret.

He had a chance to kill Naruto, shoot him in the heart or kidney, and bacteria would have eaten his organs. But he shot the bone on the hand and a muscle on the leg. That was just slowing down. That couldn't kill Naruto. Not Naruto, not Kyuubi, as they started calling him later. But he was powerless and Sasuke left.

That's when they came and took him away, persuaded him that Sasuke could be saved, but Naruto needed power to do so. And Akatsuki had power. Akatsuki was Justice and Naruto believed Justice could not lie. But he didn't know at the time that Justice has its eyes closed. He did not know at the time that Sasuke was in the list of unjust. He couldn't be saved.

Itachi was soon fast asleep, and Naruto went to refill his cup of coffee. He couldn't fall asleep. Not when his partner was ill and vulnerable. That wasn't safe for either of them.

In the kitchen though it happened again: _How would his blood taste? I need to taste it!_ But he couldn't do that. He never let himself lick the man's blood from his finger-nails after the time when he forced Itachi's heart to work again. He washed his hands ten times, scrubbed them so that they had gone red, but still when he sat at night, watching Itachi's sleeping form, he could smell it: agent Raven's blood.

He wanted it, he craved it ever since he met him, but he promised himself he couldn't have it. He wouldn't have it. He couldn't know the consequences.

With shaking hands Naruto opened the secret drawer in the kitchen and took out a vial with deep red liquid – arterial blood, he could only use this one – and looked at it in hesitation. In his fit his breathing accelerated and he almost opened the vial – but he wanted to understand what was wrong. What was wrong with him? Why was his body mutating again?

He put the small glass bottle inside the drawer again. He shouldn't. He should listen to his intuition. It told him he shouldn't. It told him blood wasn't what his body and his mind really wanted. It told him blood was connected to the desired thing though.

Itachi couldn't lift himself from the bed for a whole week. But he got better afterwards and immediately he said they should start a mission. So he took the envelope.

'We should wait. You're still weak' Naruto wanted to interject, but Itachi stopped him.

'No, I'm not. I'm better now, much better, and I'm perfectly capable of completing a mission' _Nothing could be as hard as my last one,_ he thought but made himself focus on the envelope.

'But you aren't strong and healthy enough right now!'

'Uzumaki, you're not my mother, stop acting like it!' Itachi shut the boy up. The kid's look though… Oh the look on Uzumaki's face! It was hilarious. Agent Raven couldn't help smiling. 'Where do you keep a knife?'

'I'm not giving a knife to a suicidal prick!' Naruto answered indignantly and agent Raven still couldn't help smiling. 'And if you need a knife just to open a letter, give it to me, I can do it without a knife!'

'You mustn't forget there's a lot of important documents inside that envelope and if you damage them by ripping…'

'Oh shut up, I know all that. It's not my first extra hard mission!' the kid answered angrily. He took the envelope from Itachi's hands and examined it. And then with a nail he picked at the paper material and started to rip carefully. And Itachi with his special vision back was shocked to see that the nail wasn't a nail anymore but a huge claw, like he saw when Naruto saved his life. He thought it was a hallucination then, but now he had a proof.

'You'd find out anyway, since in this envelope there's my file with personal information and special abilities, so I figured it wouldn't be a problem if I showed you I'm a freak just a couple of minutes earlier.' Agent Kyuubi said coldly, eyes still on the paper that he carefully ripped but sensing the gaze of his partner. 'So here. The envelope is opened'

Itachi looked at the documents being pulled out – they were all green. In Akatsuki that meant only one thing:

Top Secret Mission.

…Maybe Uzumaki had an access to the secret folders after all.

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**To be continued…

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**

And remember, my friends, if you can hit the 'favourite' button, you can hit the 'review' one too! AND it's in the centre and is much fancier: all so green and cool!


	4. Chapter 3 Soundproof

Hey, hi. Please, don't hit me, I know I was kind of taking my time writing this chapter. But you all know how it is: exams and other stuff. I was really busy with other things, and the chapter wasn't easy to write. (I have to write a plan for this down). And it's a little shorter than previous chapters. Sorry for that. Anyway, I'm sorry for everything, I hope you'll still read this fanfic! I'm not leaving it!

Name: Bulletproof  
Rating: T, just to be on a safe side  
Pairing: ItaNaru  
Disclaimer: Kishimoto only owns the characters, I own the fantasy!  
Warnings: AU, future sort-of, some violence, character death (minor one).  
**Summary:** Naruto Uzumaki, code name Kyuubi, the young agent of Justice in the organisation of Akatsuki gets to work in pair with the legendary Uchiha Itachi, code name Raven, on a top secret mission of retreating the stolen memory-eraser. But their paths and missions are different and their pasts are what nobody deserves to live through, and they hurt each other too much to let love save their souls. The question arises in both their hands. What is Justice?

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**Chapter 3  
Soundproof**

** (Compassionless)  
**

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The sound of the body hitting the hard floor echoed throughout the room. A few kicks and some sobs of a woman in her thirties, the gag sounds and the vomit smell. That's what agent Raven heard when he closed his eyes. All in two seconds.

'Please…' the woman croaked. 'I don't know anything'

Another kick. That sounded like a broken rib. A cry full of pain.

'We know you have information' said the absolutely calm voice. Not Itachi's though. 'If you do not disclose it to us you will be counted as unjust.' This voice sounded like a roar of some horrible predator.

A whimper now. It was time to open his eyes. Itachi observed the anorexic woman and apparently an information keeper. They found her a couple of days ago on the forum in internet, where she boasted to some guy about being able to erase memories if her friends are going to let her using it. It was easy to track her location and personal information down – after all Itachi was a competent hacker.

But she wasn't talking and didn't give into his hypnosis, so Naruto… no, agent Kyuubi had to work with her. At this point she was heavily beaten up, but still silent.

'Raven, try your eyes on her again' the man with wild red eyes, huge claws and raspy voice looked at Itachi.

'No' he shook his head. 'I tried before, but she seems to have natural protection from any kind of hypnosis, so my eyes won't help'

'How can she have natural protection?! She was stupid enough to be talked into spilling the information about a stolen top-secret weapon in internet! I don't think she is always protected' Kyuubi furrowed his brows. Itachi looked at the girl and met her eyes with his. She gasped and shuddered under the gaze of blood-red eyes like the man's partner's, only this man had some strange black dots around the pupil.

'Doesn't work.' The man stated and his younger friend looked exasperated and even scarier than before. Even with her bones she could feel his anger.

'Bitch!' he hit her in the face and her head spun around. She didn't even notice the blood seeping out of her mouth and nose. 'Where is the memory-eraser?!' he hit her again and she whimpered and wined as pain spread through her whole body.

'I don't…' her head hit the wall and everything went black for a second.

'Awake finally?' that same voice more animal's than human asked and she dared not open her eyes. 'Now tell me where is it or who has it and don't even try this I-don't-know bullshit because we know you have the information' he was calm again. Calm and cold. That was even scarier. But she wasn't too scared. There was nothing as scary as somebody from the 'company' showed her.

'I… I don't know what you're talking about!' she cried, every cell in her body tortured with unbearable pain.

The sense of anger and hatred was so intense in the room that Itachi had to confess he shuddered. Was this Naruto? The boy that smiled and laughed and trusted Itachi for no serious reason? Was it that boy that hit the poor girl mercilessly ignoring her cries and pleas?

'I'll fucking show you how to lie to us!'

Was it Naruto that started ripping the clothes off the limp and bloody girl that was in so much pain at the moment that she didn't quite realise what the other was intending to do to her.

'Wha… what are you doin… n-no… no! No!' she started shouting and crying, but Kyuubi just shut her mouth by slapping her.

'Stop screaming, you bitch! You think this is some kind of a game we're playing with you?' he ripped off her coat and blouse, revealing an ugly greyish bra. 'You think we'll spare you if you lie good enough?' with his claws he ripped through the fabric of her jeans and pulled them off roughly. She sobbed and repeated on and on 'no!'

'You've got to be fucking kidding me, because we're fucking serious here and you're in our way!' he tried pulling off her bra, but she started screaming and fighting, shielding her breast with her hands. Kyuubi took one of them and snapped.

Itachi watched as the man before him hit the girl across the face and she spit more blood. He watched as the person before him took off the victim's bra. He watched as the person known as Naruto to him pressed his pelvis between her legs, still in her panties. He could see that animal before him was hard.

'Yo-you can't do this!' she whimpered. 'You're from the Justice organisation! You're supposed to prevent such things happening, not make them happen, you have no right!'

'You try being smart with me? I'll tell you our rules! We're from Akatsuki, the organization that brings Justice to the world. We avenge the hurt. And if you do not cooperate with us, you're counted as unjust. And we do not spare those!' he roared and grabbed her panties.

The girl started screaming and wriggling under the man, holding the material of her underwear tight in her grip, but Kyuubi was stronger.

'I'll tell you!' she cried at last. 'I'll tell you everything I know! I promise! I promise! Just please, don't… don't…'

She sobbed in relief as the agent let go of the panties. His eyes weren't angry anymore, but wild and cold, which was scarier than anger in him. He didn't look human.

Itachi stood still on his place as Kyuubi turned to him his cool eyes and stood up. Itachi stood and watched.

'Well?' agent Kyuubi asked and the girl on the floor shuddered.

'I dated this guy, Kimimaro, and I really really love him, he's so sweet and…'

'To the point'

'And so I stuck to him and a couple of weeks ago I snuck up on him going for some business deal, but I though he cheated on me, and I heard him talk to some guys, one reminded me of a snake and the other… can't remember him, but they found me out and that other guy promised me he'll torture me in the most horrible ways if I say anything to anybody'

'He scared you to death and you don't remember his features?' Kyuubi asked and the girl started stuttering.

'I… I can't… I don't… know… but they were talking about something…'

'The memory-eraser?'

'Yes, yes, the memory-eraser and I… I…' she sobbed louder. 'I just really wanted him to love me, I love him so much, and now he's going to kill me!'

'Address'

But the girl was sobbing still.

Once again Itachi stood still and just watched as agent Kyuubi hit the girl in the stomach with his foot and shouted at her. 'Tell us the bloody address, you bloody bitch!'

She whimpered and cried out, but opened her mouth and after a third try managed to speak.

'37th Aberdeen Cross Street, bar 'Jessica'. Ask the bartender for Kimimaro'

Kyuubi turned his eyes to Itachi and he nodded. They turned around and went to the door. Before closing it though Naruto turned to the girl and said 'Guess, you didn't love him that much after all'

Then they were gone.

One good thing about that motel was that it had soundproof walls. Not many cheap ones had those, and it was quite a plus that the girl they had tortured just a minute ago worked in the same motel.

She was a drug addict and anorexic – that was the first thing they found out about her in Akatsuki files. It was actually strange that such a strong lead on the case was stored in the organisation's files – usually missions were much more difficult. Her name was Amy Lee, and as Naruto found from the keeper of the motel, she had a boyfriend drug-dealer, who as they found out just a few minutes ago was Kimimaro – one of Orochimaru's workers and a powerful persona in the world of drug industry. Why Akatsuki hadn't exterminated him and all of his friends was beyond Itachi's understanding – they had all the files on him and could easily find and kill the man.

They walked through the halls and Itachi couldn't help worrying if the people in other rooms heard the screams of a tortured girl. But they didn't, the walls were soundproof.

'Convenient, isn't it?' Kyuubi asked and Itachi met the red of his eyes with his own – family trait: Sharingan.

'Yes, it is' he answered coldly as the wild but indifferent eyes moved across the man's face.

'You hate me, don't you?' he asked Itachi and the man's face turned into stone.

'I hate nothing and no one. I don't care'

'You hate me.' Naruto stated and looked away, smiling as a predator would. 'Soon you'll hate me for real though. I can feel it'

In this voice there was nothing of Naruto, as if the mutation took complete control over the body and later Naruto wouldn't even remember those words. Itachi had to confess he disliked the creature, although he couldn't quite understand why. Many times before he met the people with mutations in their bodies. He knew the drill by heart even – he once had to do it himself: they always entered the house without a knock and grabbed the child – sometimes five years old, sometimes less, in Naruto's case already ten – and inserted the infection that would mutate the child's body. However it needed awakening – a huge, animal-like rage – so they made children watch how they tortured and killed their loved ones. This was how they created the perfect mutants.

So far Uzumaki Naruto was the best of them.

Itachi met and worked with such people as Naruto before, but never did he hate the creature inside them, or dislike, as he preferred calling the emotion. Usually he only pitied them, but with Naruto it was all different. Maybe sixth sense?

'So what's our next move?' Naruto asked when they entered the dirty old café: a quick stop to drink some coffee – Itachi liked these small breaks during missions.

'Simple.' Itachi answered as he sat down at the least noticeable table. He looked at Naruto and frowned. 'Turn this thing off' he commanded. Naruto looked at him in confusion and then realized what the other meant. Slowly his eyes turned from blood red to blue and for some reason Itachi felt more comfortable with this Naruto than the other one.

He looked around but the waitress was nowhere in sight.

'So as I said, our next move is simple. We get acquainted with Kimimaro'

Naruto looked gloomy for some reason. He looked up from his crossed hands tiredly and searched for a waitress. She was too busy talking to some men at the other table.

'Maybe we shouldn't do that?' he asked and inhaled deeply.

'You alright?' Itachi asked alarmed.

'I'm fine' Naruto said and waved his partner's worry off. 'So, as I said, right now they've just stolen a secret weapon and they know Akatsuki agents will go hunting them down' he breathed in and out again at the last word. 'So they'll be anticipating some strange people trying to get "acquainted" with them. They'll know we're lying about whatever we come up with in order to get to the memory-eraser.'

'That is if we tell them we're somebody new' Itachi answered.

'What do you mean?' Naruto asked but suddenly his face coloured. First it was red but then for some reason it became an unpleasant shade of green. Itachi looked at him alarmed.

'What's wrong with you?' he asked quietly as to not make a scene. They need not be obvious.

'I'll be right back' Naruto answered. 'Throw up' he said. It was a rule to always tell your partner exactly what's wrong, so as to not alarm them when it's just a stomach ache.

Naruto stood up quickly, although quietly and left to the washroom. Itachi had to wait. Waitress finally came and he ordered himself coffee and cold water for his partner. She said she'll be right back and went off to flirt with those men at the other table again. He waited. Ten minutes later the waitress returned unlike his partner. He downed his coffee. Naruto still wasn't back.

'Where the hell is this brat' he muttered when finally the mentioned person returned. He looked pale and had bags under his eyes. His hair was a little wet and on his lower lip he saw blood.

'You've got your own blood on your lips, care to explain?' he enquired the boy. Naruto took the glass of water and gulped it down.

'You know how with such mutations there is the constant hunger for blood, right?' he asked.

'Not many of those' Itachi answered.

'Well, mine is a very aggressive predator, and sometimes I have these fits when I hear its voice and stuff, and I have a serious craving for blood. Usually I have a donor's blood to drink, but for some reason today it wasn't enough. And I really hate the job of a vampire, you know, so I drank my own' Naruto explained. On his face there was no hatred towards his mutation, unlike most others Itachi met, on the opposite, Naruto wasn't too bothered with this. That was strange, or was there something beneath the surface?

'I see' Itachi answered and Naruto showed him his hand – the bite marks still visible, although almost healed already.

'I've a problem right now though, since these fits increased in frequency and strength' Naruto said.

'Did you talk to the organization?' Itachi asked.

'Yeah, they said they'll check me out after I complete the mission' he answered.

'Fine then. So back to the plan of action' Itachi saw the waitress flirt with those men again and found it very unprofessional for some reason. 'So, in such big organizations – and that has to be a big organization if it managed to steal a top secret weapon – people usually don't know much about their authorities. That is why they don't know how their boss looks like. That is done so that if somebody gets caught, they would be unable to say, who's behind the whole thing. However, that can be used in our advantage too'

'Oh, now I see!' Naruto answered. It was somehow strange for Itachi. Was it him that explained the plan well enough or was it his new partner that understood him without too many words?

'That torture of the girl was quite scary to look at' Itachi confessed out of the blue. Naruto smiled weakly and looked down.

'Yeah, I know. I hate doing such things' he answered. It shouldn't be true, what Itachi said, since he had seen many tortures of people even worse than that and he got used to them. On the other hand, that didn't mean the sight wasn't scary. Besides, Naruto was such a shiny person, it was frightening to see him transform. 'I was sick because of that five minutes ago'

'Oh' Itachi said, and for some reason he was glad. He didn't have time to think about that though.

'So, since we're having a break, we could get to know each other' Naruto said cheerfully.

'Don't we already know everything about each other from the records?' Itachi asked.

'Well, you said so yourself, remember? That those are just facts, not quite bonding, right?'

'You want us to bond?' Itachi asked, and he couldn't help himself but to rise a brow.

'Sure! You're really cool! And you've got this family thingy… what was it… sharungan!'

'Sharingan!' Itachi corrected.

'Oh, yeah! Sharingan!' Naruto rubbed at the back of his head and smiled. For some reason that made Itachi sigh.

'Fine. What do you want to know?' he said thinking he was going to regret it later. He didn't know how right he was.

'So, did you ever have a girlfriend?' Naruto asked and his eyes lit up with excitement.

'No' was Itachi's answer. 'Did you?'

'Only a huge crush, but that was on a boy. That's kind of bothering me'

'Why?' Itachi asked, suddenly not liking that his partner wasn't happy with such a little detail.

'Well, you know, it's supposed to be like… the opposite sex, right? And yeah, I know all those things, that being gay is normal and that I can't do anything about it, but really, people are saying those things just out of pity'

'I can't believe that the youngest agent of Justice, that killed already a dozen of people, a guinea pig for his organization and a mutant whose mutation is violent and continues to develop still has a complex about being homosexual. Really, Naruto, you're strange!' Itachi said and smiled.

'Whoa!' Naruto said shocked. He pointed a finger in Itachi's face and his eyes became wider. 'You're smiling!' Itachi, offended, scowled. 'No, no, no! Turn it back to a smile! It's so cool! Really, I'm proud of being gay now!'

Itachi's brows rose high.

''Cause it made you smile!' Naruto grinned and his partner couldn't help but smile again.

'You're really strange, Naruto' he said.

'Oh, and Raven, we kind of have to stop at that, ok?' Naruto continued smiling, but his body tensed up.

'Is it one of your fits again?' Itachi asked, worried for some reason.

'No. We should leave right now' Naruto nodded happily. That meant someone was watching them.

'Sure thing. I forgot we have to buy groceries for your sister.' Itachi answered, and stood up, leaving money for the waitress.

They left quietly, but once they were out of the café they separated and ran.

* * *

_To be continued...

* * *

_

So, if you review more, I'll give you a cookie! Really! And you can post bad reviews too!

Just, review!


	5. Chapter 4 Friendproof

Name: Bulletproof  
Rating: T, just to be on a safe side  
Pairing: ItaNaru  
Disclaimer: Kishimoto only owns the characters, I own the fantasy!  
Warnings: AU, future sort-of, some violence, character death (minor one).  
**Summary:** Naruto Uzumaki, code name Kyuubi, the young agent of Justice in the organisation of Akatsuki gets to work in pair with the legendary Uchiha Itachi, code name Raven, on a top secret mission of retreating the stolen memory-eraser. But their paths and missions are different and their pasts are what nobody deserves to live through, and they hurt each other too much to let love save their souls. The question arises in both their hands. What is Justice?

* * *

**Chapter 4  
Friendproof**

* * *

Naruto jumped up in time to avoid the necrobullet, his eyes followed the flesh-eating bacteria for a second before he landed just in front of his follower and knocked the necrogun out of his hand with his leg. The man paused just for a second but that was enough for Naruto – he hit him in the stomach with his knee and the man doubled over in pain, but that wasn't the end. Agent Kyuubi knocked the man on the ground hit him in the face and kicked him in the side. The man started suffocating, the air was knocked out of his lungs.

Kyuubi grabbed a handful of his hair and pulled his head up. The man's face was bloody and his eyes shut tightly in pain.

'Who sent you?' Kyuubi asked and for a second the man opened his eyes only to shut them again as he met the blood-red eyes of the agent.

That waitress wasn't flirting with the men in the café earlier that day. They were watching Naruto and Itachi and they were good at it – Naruto could only guess they were on their tail because of the slightly fake expression on the waitress' face. His mutation told him to run. Itachi must have already dealt with his share of followers – he was a genius after all.

'I… I don't…'

Naruto shook the man hard.

'Who sent you?!' he roared and the man shivered. He opened his mouth but the words wouldn't come out. He tried again.

'It's… hi… his n-name is…' the man paused, gaping for some reason at something behind Naruto. But his Kyuubi instincts told him there was no living soul apart from him and the man in the alley. Just in case he turned his head around for a second but nothing out of ordinary was behind him.

'What?! His name is what?!' he shook the man but he continued gaping. What was his problem? And then the man's eyes started rolling behind his lids and in a second Naruto saw only white of the eyeball before the man's hands darted suddenly to his neck and started scratching at the skin.

It hit Naruto – the man wasn't gaping, the process of whatever was happening to the man had started then. The man made choking sounds – he probably wanted to scream but couldn't for he was suffocating. His face turned blue and the white eyes opened and closed periodically. Was there anything Naruto could do? He tried to stop the man from scratching his neck, but the other was unable to stop.

Frantic and panicking, Naruto started on a CPR, but that wasn't helping. The man's body was destroying itself. In a minute the man was dead.

'Damn it!' Naruto cursed and used his mutation to examine the corpse. It was as if the man had a trigger for self-destruction, but what triggered him?

The sound of footsteps brought him out of his thoughts and he remembered there were other followers. He jumped into the air – far higher than a human being could jump and disappeared.

***

'They all suffocated, right?' was Itachi's greeting as Naruto entered their apartment half hour later, tired and dirty from all the alleys and roots he had to take in order to avoid been spotted. One nosy follower was so stubborn that Naruto had to lie on the ground and then hide in the drainage.

'Yeah' he answered and collapsed on the closest sofa.

'You sure nobody followed you when you got close to our hiding place?' Itachi just had to ask that. Had to treat him like a kid and that all just when Naruto was completely not in the mood.

'Yeah, I'm completely sure! Whom are you taking me for – a stupid beginner?'

That was startling. Itachi looked up at his partner and studied his face. Was Naruto offended? But why would he care what Itachi thought of him? 'No, I ask every partner I have to work with that question no matter how skilled they are.' He told the boy.

'Oh. Fine then' Naruto answered, looking away a little ashamed, but something told Itachi there was this air of stubbornness still. He studied him – hands gripped the sofa's armrests hard, so that the material was going to rip under the fingers, although without the Kyuubi's claws, but still quite able to do harm. A lot of it. Lips were tightly pressed together, probably unconsciously, as it seemed Naruto tried not to show what he felt. One leg tensed periodically so much that the muscles could be seen when it did. Itachi would have taken in for a spasm if only Naruto hadn't been doing it for quite some time. He looked at the boy's eyes. Those eyes… the look in them was so determined, so sharp and so icing Itachi had to suppress a shiver. Had he done that? Was Naruto so offended, so hurt by Itachi's words? But why would he care? And why did Itachi care?

'Hey, I'm sorry if I offended you somehow. I didn't want to' Itachi murmured, not quite sure if it was the right thing to do. But then Naruto looked at him, first surprised, then unsure, then angry. Emotions changed on his face so quickly, that Itachi had to doubt if he had turned off his Sharingan – a normal human could not follow such speedy changes. And then Naruto smiled and for some reason Itachi felt he did the right thing.

'Nah, it's just me and my stupid messed up brain' he rubbed at the back of his head and looked down blushing.

'We're all messed up, you know. At least the two of us' Itachi told him and was amused how Naruto's blush spread on his face. So funny, this guy. 'So?' he asked with a conciliatory tone. 'You forgive me?'

Naruto looked up and for some reason, although Itachi studied Naruto's physical qualities the first time he met him, he had this feeling he had never before looked properly at the colour of his eyes. Strangely he might have missed that insignificant detail before and now felt the urge to name the colour. But it was quite difficult. Plain out blue wouldn't fit. Naruto had this azure colour in whole, but closer around the pupil it took a deeper shade.

'Yeah, yeah, I forgive you' Naruto said embarrassed and stood up. 'I'll go take a shower' he announced and disappeared into the bathroom.

He took his shirt off first, looked at it and threw it away in disgust. Then he started undoing his jeans. But unfortunately he was unable to finish that work, since something vibrated in his pants' pocket. He took it out and looked at the number. Number unknown. Probably the agency. He picked it up.

'Yes?'

'_Naruto, is that you?_'

'What? Jyraya?!'

'_Don't you dare hang up! We seriously need to talk! I know you're in Akatsuki_'

Naruto's blood froze. His heart stopped. He felt he could die then. It was a secret information, if somebody finds out, they'll have to be eliminated.

'I will hang up now. Keep out of my life'

Shower was cold. Because Naruto wanted so. Stupid! Stupid! Endangering the life of a dear person! How could he have let that happen?! He should have made sure his step father would never want to see him again. How could Jyraya have forgiven him?!

Itachi started worrying. His partner took way too long for a shower. Can you drown in a shower? Of course, if you try hard enough you can even drown in a plate of soup but still Naruto wasn't that dumb. And suicidal either.

'Why did it take you so long?' he snapped the second the kid entered the room.

'Erm… I needed to sort something out' Naruto answered surprised and earnest for once.

'Sort what out?' Itachi was suddenly in a bad mood for some reason.

'Uhm, relative stuff' Naruto blurted out before he could think about it. It felt so much like in those old times when you didn't need to be discreet with everybody, when you didn't have to hide your personality, when you weren't afraid of your skeletons in the closet. Those were the old times with his parents still alive, or at least foster parents, with him and Jyraya still speaking, Tsunade shouting at both of them and drinking in her hiding place under her desk table, with friends all laughing and playing pranks on passers by, with Sasuke. Sasuke…

'You're in touch with relatives?' Itachi brought him out of his memories suddenly.

'What? No! Of course not! It's just…'

Why was he telling this guy these things? They worked on a very dangerous organization and Itachi himself told Naruto that he would betray him if it was necessary. And after all his disability to deal with Jyraya was another weakness for Itachi to pick at. He was just like Sasuke.

'Whatever. It's of no importance' he said quickly and then his eyes started watering. What the hell? His nose blocked and breathing increased. Oh no, not again! 'Itachi' he called.

'What's happening' the other was already by his side, looking carefully over Naruto, who kneeled on the floor and doubled over, his head touching the cool floor.

'I'm having a seizure. You know, like my fits but worse'

'You're supposed to have those once in your life when they-'

'When they first insert the mutation, yeah. But for some strange reason it's happening and I don't know what to do' his voice was laced with pain but strangely calm. It surprised Naruto that panic hadn't kicked in yet, he was sure if he remembered something important, he'd start panicking. What was it? What was it?

'Does this mean you can go on a rampage, destroying everything that gets in your way?'

Bingo.

'Yes' Naruto breathed out somewhat high in the voice and there was that panic screaming inside his head so loud he didn't hear his hysterical breathing. That shouldn't happen. That would be the end of everything. He'd blow their cover completely, he'd destroy everything, he'd get kicked out of the organization and killed by the member of it, he'd kill lots of innocent people, he'd kill Itachi.

No!

'No!' he whimpered. 'No, no, no, no, no, no, no! Itachi! Itachi, help me! Itachi, make it stop! Do something, please, Itachi! I don't want to kill you! I don't want… I don't… I…'

'Shut up!' the other shouted so loud that Naruto obeyed out of surprise and stared at the other's angry but cool face. Itachi was upset with him. That was a bad thing. Naruto was talking stupid things and Itachi got upset. But Itachi was calm. Calm. Like he wasn't in danger. 'This isn't typical, Naruto. You're conscious and aware for 68 seconds, it's exactly 38 seconds more than it should be in a normal seizure. It's going to be something we do not know about but right now I want you to shut up and stop panicking!'

Itachi held Naruto's hands behind his back in case he started indeed something violent. In truth, Itachi knew that a usual human hold, no, even the hold of the strongest metal wouldn't be able to keep a person with a mutation like that under control. But he needed to make sure Naruto wasn't trying suicide or something in order to protect other people. For some reason Itachi knew Naruto was that selfless.

'Ok, Naruto, you're aware for 156 seconds now, I want you to breathe calmly in and out'

Naruto tried to calm his beating heart that made his breathing erratic, but it was impossible. His stomach burned and there was no air. He suffocated, he suffocated and it was for the best or he would kill Itachi.

'Breathe, Naruto! Now!' he heard in his ear. The sound shattered in his auricle, hit the ear-drum and sent spasms in his brain, messed with electricity there – he could see all that, and then…

In and out he breathed loudly, as if there was something stuck in his throat, so that Itachi was frightened for a second the boy was going to die.

'You hear me? 200 seconds, Naruto! Calm down' he commanded to the other, squeezing his hands behind his back tightly. 'Calm down'

Naruto breathed, although it was painful, so painful, but Itachi was holding his hands securely and his chest was touching Naruto's back, so tense, so that his face was near Naruto's ear and he was talking so calmly. He was calm that's why Naruto had to obey. Had to obey and not lose consciousness. Another breath, exhale – inhale, he felt weakness spreading through his body. It was right, after all. It was right that Itachi…

He first met Sasuke in a school corridor back when he was twelve and Jyraya said he couldn't come and pick him up from his new school, but Tsunade made a special promise to him, so he just couldn't keep happiness at bay.

And Sasuke, that sad boy, he was standing in the corridor, all by himself, and looked out the window where leaves fell on the ground slowly – it was a beautiful autumn. Naruto couldn't pass by him. He felt he had to share his happiness.

'Hi!' he grinned at the boy and he looked at him surprised for a second, but then just annoyed. But it didn't matter, Naruto decided, it didn't matter, because Naruto had to share that feeling with no one but that boy. 'Guess what? Tsunade promised to give me her real cool necklace for my birthday! It's so cool, man!'

The boy looked puzzled and even more annoyed, but it didn't matter, Naruto thought, he wouldn't leave or stop smiling, because that boy was just too sad.

'What an idiot' he heard and looked at the smirk on the other's face. That bastard!

'What?'

'You deaf or something?'

'Emo-boy!'

And suddenly they were fighting. Sasuke started it, he would tell others later, but in reality it didn't really matter. It was just out right great!

Hours later, when they sat in the principal's office waiting for their parents to pick them up, Naruto spotted that small smile on the boy's face. It was directed at him. That day, probably, was the happiest in Naruto's life. He didn't know that yet, but coughing blood on the carpet in their apartment, roaring so scarily he was worried the birds would die in their nests, and pulling his hands out of Itachi's grip, Naruto knew, he never was as happy in his life again.

'My name is Sasuke' he said then and Naruto grinned so hard, his lips hurt.

'Naruto' he answered and they shook hands.

Sasuke's father came first, and all cheerfulness disappeared from the boy's face. It was the coldness of those eyes, the worst disapproval that made Naruto worry for his new friend…

He was brought back to present by a sharp pain in his side, all seemed as if in a slow motion: he twitched to look at the source of pain, but his head turned annoyingly slowly, his vision blurred and Itachi's cold but tensed face on his left could hardly be seen, only the feeling of hands trying to shift him away from the side of the table, which was poking in his side, were registered in his mind before he fell back into his memories, along with the words:

'Careful, Naruto. Please, try to calm down'

There was no romance in his and Sasuke's relationship. There was no 'first kiss' fuss, there was no cinema-going, no hanging-out thing, there were no feelings expressed at all. In fact, as Naruto could remember, they were more than strange-type-of-idiot-like-friends-and-rivals only once when Sasuke came to his house, (gladly, Jyraya and Tsunade were gone for the business meeting) slammed his door and hit him in the face.

'What the hell, bastard?'

'I've seen it in your stupid eyes, you bloody moron! Well, guess today's your lucky day!' Sasuke hissed, his face contorted in anger, resentment and… offence?

'What are you talking about, jerk?' Naruto barked at him. His friend had a scratch just near his brow and blood oozed out a little down his temple. He knew what it meant. Sasuke's parents were no usual people – he told Naruto himself once when they were thirteen. They held a special genome that could enhance one's vision, make it like a hawk's, and also manipulate with another man's psyche. Sasuke had an elder brother that entered some cool organization in the age of 14 – Sasuke's age at the time. His father was harsh. He had expectations. Sasuke once told Naruto that if he won't be able to enter the organization, he'll become a criminal.

'Don't play dumb, Naruto! I know you want my body. So take it!'

'What?'

It wasn't as if it wasn't the truth. For about six months Naruto had a crush on Sasuke, his best friend. But he figured it would be better to never happen, because Sasuke wasn't a person who believed in love. That was their difference.

'Well, maybe today I want it too' Sasuke looked angry and about to do something violent, but Naruto caught a glimpse of something in his eye – confusion.

'Sasuke… maybe we shouldn't-'

'I want it now, or I'm leaving and you never get a second chance'

Naruto had to think. He looked at Sasuke carefully and wondered if he would regret it later on? Of course he would, he was sure. But what could he do to make Sasuke calm down? What else could he do but try soothing his pain at least this way, so that maybe, just maybe, Sasuke wouldn't choose to become a criminal? How could he take care of his best friend? He did not know that. For once he had no answers and he wasn't sure he'd ever have them again.

Because sometimes when you look pain in the eyes long enough, you have no more strength to deny it exists in the world.

So he nodded to Sasuke and took him to his bedroom.

His bed was messy and too small for two people.

'The shower's-'

'I've been to your place before, I still remember' Sasuke interrupted and disappeared behind the door.

While he took shower Naruto occupied himself with preparing. Should the bed be made or it wouldn't matter? And what's the point of making it if anyway you're going to make it messy again? Still, might be better to make it. Maybe let the fresh air in the room? Should he open the window? But what if neighbours… What if he hurts Sasuke?

What if he hurts Sasuke?

God, he didn't know what to do!

He knew something about lube, but he had none! What should he do? What if Sasuke's in so much pain he wouldn't enjoy it at all? What should he do?

Did he do the right thing at all?

When Sasuke came out of the shower, Naruto was sitting on the bed, tense. He looked up at the other and wondered where did all their friendship and trust go.

'Aren't you going to strip?' Sasuke asked him in a cold voice that badly masked nervousness. Naruto started to undress quickly as his friend just put his towel off.

Sex was technical. It was like crying. Naruto brought pleasure to Sasuke as much as he could, but wondered why didn't Sasuke feel the same thing as he?

'Why are you crying, moron?' Sasuke asked him while they were doing it.

'I don't want you to leave' he answered simply.

'Too late'

_Naruto!_

Suddenly the image of the memory changed. Something shifter and distorted and the next second it was Itachi Naruto was having sex with – no, making love to, and Naruto said to him 'I don't want you to leave' and Itachi answered 'Too late' and disappeared into the frenzy, he was forgotten, Naruto forgot him and he didn't know why.

_Naruto, calm down!_

Intuition.

He couldn't let go, he wouldn't let go! He had to stop it, whatever it was that was coming – the image of Itachi lying on the floor, shot by the sufgun, and somebody was running away! He had to stop them, but what about Itachi?

Or Sasuke… Sasuke…

Sasuke left for the criminal career the next day.

_Lie still, damn it!_

What about Itachi, should he save him, should he side with him after Sasuke died – wait! When did Sasuke die, he's still alive although sick, but that only means Naruto doesn't have to decide what to do yet.

Intuition.

What would Itachi's blood taste like? Should he try it? Go under that white perfect cool skin and taste blood – red hot _alive_ blood. He wished he could. He would. Or wouldn't, whatever. Sasuke… he never wanted to taste Sasuke's blood… _Wake up…_ Sasuke probably didn't believe in love, so there was no point for him to share the taste of his blood with somebody else… _Naruto, wake up… _Itachi's face has something like wrinkles on his cheeks, they're strange. Naruto wanted to trace them with his tongue.

'Naruto!'

He sat up abruptly and realized at once he was covered in sweat. Something was touching his shoulder and he felt a sharp pain in his side, probably a wound. Minor. He looked around. Furniture was mostly upside down on the floor and there was some broken glass near the table.

'You awake?' Itachi asked him and squeezed his shoulder.

'Yeah. I think so' Naruto said and turned to look at the other man. There was something in his dream-like fit that had to do with Itachi. Something important. 'What happened?' he asked, noticing a wound in his partner's right hand.

'You just kept running around the apartment, like a trapped animal, but not much destructiveness'

'And… your hand?' Naruto asked hesitantly.

'Oh… well, it got in the way' one more thing that Itachi found strange was that he didn't want to hurt his partner. He couldn't explain it even if his life depended on it.

'I bit you, didn't I?'

'Naruto'

'I better go shower again'

Back in the bathroom he locked himself and ripped off all of his clothes in disgust and hatred. He let his skin burn in the extremely hot water and then turned the handle to cold and sent himself into waves of shock. But that didn't matter. Body didn't matter. Body was awful, ugly, useless and a bloody mutation.

Fucking mutant.

Monster.

His necklace fell from his neck – probably he ripped it while he had a seizure – and flew to the drain, but Naruto picked it up quickly.

Tsunade was assassinated when Naruto was thirteen. She was a politician, so it should be expected. On her funeral Naruto didn't cry. It was too much. Later that evening Sasuke came by and without a word put on the table his favorite noodles. Naruto didn't eat, but that didn't matter because Sasuke's shoulder got all wet. And he didn't mind.

Sasuke cared about Naruto after all.

When he came back to the living room, Itachi must have tidied it up, because it looked almost like nothing had happened.

'You alright?' and there he was, going out of the kitchen with a tea pot. 'Want some tea?'

'Sure' he mumbled and moved to the couch. Itachi looked him up and down, noticing the necklace in the boy's hand.

'I've seen this necklace on you for a while now, why do you wear it?' Itachi couldn't help asking him. Naruto looked surprised for a second but then smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck.

'Geez, you're the only partner I share so much personal info with!'

'You chose to trust me in the first place' Itachi shrugged, but seeing the other's embarrassment, he added 'But I guess, I trust you too'

That was the truth. There was no other partner or person at all, that Itachi felt comfortable enough to have a relaxed and casual talk with. Moreover, Itachi _cared_ for this boy, because how else could you explain why he bothered with being calm when Naruto had a seizure and hating his mutation that was _not_ Naruto, why at all Itachi didn't want to offend his partner? He couldn't pull off the courtesy to the boy for Sasuke's sake, because for three days straight he hadn't thought about Sasuke.

'It's my foster mom's present, by the way.' Naruto brought him out of his thoughts.

'Oh?'

'Yeah. They were best friends with my parents, you know. But she was killed two years ago. When she gave it to me on her birthday, she told me that no matter what happens and how horrible it is, I should remember that somewhere out there happiness exists still' he said, remembering. That necklace had helped him through lots of things.

'What was her name?'

Why was Itachi asking, Naruto thought. Strange, but it didn't matter anymore, so he might as well tell him.

'Tsunade Sannin'

And suddenly the temperature in the room was colder for some reason. It was as if Itachi had something terrible locked behind his lips.

'It was me' he said plainly.

'What?' Naruto didn't understand.

'I was the assassinator'

There were fifteen seconds when Naruto just sat still and tried to process the whole thing. And then just like that he was up on his feet, throwing Itachi out of his armchair and pinning him to a wall roughly.

'I'll kill you! I'll kill you and rip your bloody insides and feed them to bloody dogs. But before that I'll fucking make you scream!' Naruto started with a hiss, but it turned into a shout almost immediately. 'How could you?! How could you?!'

It didn't make sense – what Naruto said. Itachi knew it and Naruto knew it. It was the organisation's orders and that meant there was some injustice. And Naruto understood that. But Naruto loved her. Loved her as his mother, for he lost the real one so horribly and tragically his mind locked almost all of the memories so that he wouldn't relive them every night in his sleep. And Itachi understood that.

He didn't like being pinned to a wall and he didn't like the pain. But he didn't want to fight back.

'I'm sorry' he said, and he meant it. He meant it as Naruto's tears ran down his face, while he shouted at him angrily and desperately and _hurt_. Itachi had hurt him but he felt he had to do it. He felt he had to say it to Naruto. Sixth sense, maybe? Or just the desire to trust.

But Naruto didn't listen, he got angry and screamed more and hit Itachi against the wall and it hurt, but it hurt more to look how Naruto was hurt.

So Itachi wasn't sure how strong was that strange wave of emotions that hit him then, but it was strong enough to make him do a crazy thing.

Then again, it wasn't really crazy to kiss Naruto. For some reason it felt completely natural, moreover right and pleasurable. He was kissing the boy, he wasn't sure why, but he was sure he needed to.

He broke away to look in the red, tear filled eyes that showed just as many strange and confusing emotions as Itachi had. And then he murmured into the boy's lips: "I'm sorry, Naruto. I'm so sorry'.

And he really was.

However they didn't get to stay like that for long, or even try to understand what just happened, for they heard a loud ringing of the phone. And that meant only one thing:

Akatsuki were calling.

* * *

_To be continued…

* * *

_

Please, review. I would like to know your thoughts on my fic.


	6. Chapter 5 Bloodproof

Hello, people. I'm back, hehe. Don't even know how to apologise for such a prolonged vacation with this fanfic. I guess, I was a bit discouraged, you know how it happens, when the inspiration disappears. Well, May is a bloody inspiration month, because I've written already a chapter of my multichapter Russian fanfic, another oneshot in Russian and now here you go a continuation of Bulletproof. Sorry for the wait guys. Couldn't really resist. So, how have you all been? Tell me about your lives, oh, and review, please, cuz it makes me really motivated and I write faster)))

Name: Bulletproof  
Rating: T, just to be on a safe side  
Pairing: ItaNaru  
Disclaimer: Kishimoto only owns the characters, I own the fantasy!  
Warnings: AU, future sort-of, some violence, character death (minor one).  
**Summary:** Naruto Uzumaki, code name Kyuubi, the young agent of Justice in the organisation of Akatsuki gets to work in pair with the legendary Uchiha Itachi, code name Raven, on a top secret mission of retreating the stolen memory-eraser. But their paths and missions are different and their pasts are what nobody deserves to live through, and they hurt each other too much to let love save their souls. The question arises in both their hands. What is Justice?

* * *

**Chapter 5**  
**Bloodproof

* * *

**

It was supposed to be a simple procedure. Fool the guard, get in, play it cool while shamelessly stealing information.

That's what Akatsuki said.

Every breath was a victory. Every movement was painful enough to make him scream. But he didn't. Because they'd notice him. They'd notice him and Itachi. And Naruto couldn't let that happen.

'Just keep breathing and everything will be fine' he heard but didn't dare turn his head to see his partner. 'Everything will be fine, I promise you, Naruto'.

Terrible, the boy thought, terrible lack of professionalism to call him by his name during the mission. Naruto was proud.

Itachi clouded the guard's consciousness and made him believe he was his boss, however there were some problems.

'Kyuubi'

'Yes?'

'Ask him about his name'

'Are you nuts, Rave…'

'Do it' Raven whispered and Naruto looked the guard straight in the eye, scaring him and reading the guy, in case he lies.

'You're working lamely, you didn't even ask for my documents, and I'm the business partner of your boss. I could be a criminal for all you know, you idiot! What's your name?'

'What?' asked the guy, dumbfounded. It seemed, he was shocked more than he was scared. Raven watched him carefully, scanning his bodily functions and mental state. There was a reason the guard didn't greet him properly when he found out Itachi was his boss. Didn't even call him by the name.

'What's your name, you dipshit!'

'I…'

'What?'

'I… I… My name…'

Kyuubi watched as the guard was quickly shutting down like some sort of a programme and something was telling him, that soon enough the guy would suffocate like those followers did.

'Your name is unimportant to us. My friend here was just kidding' Raven said in his hypnotysing voice.

Sharingan stage 1. Level of control minimum.

The man seemed to calm immediately, staring blankly in the distance and ignoring the two visitors completely. For him they didn't exist.

'What's going on, Raven?' Naruto whispered as the two of them advanced into the building Akatsuki had given them coordinates of. After the phone call where Itachi reported their progress on a mission, they checked the info on the address of the Kimimaro guy and gave them a different one. It seemed, their man had already abandoned the place, but the organization was able to track him down.

'The people here are manipulated mentally' Itachi answered quickly. 'The guard and our followers are programmed with their different missions, for example that man, that didn't know his own name, he had a command in mind to let in only those, saved in his memory, but he didn't know their names, and if he saw intruders, he'd report them. But even if he was killed before he was able to alert everyone, the one controlling him would already know, since he can sense the change in the person's emotions. And any attempt at getting information out of him would lead to self-destruction'

Kyuubi nodded.

'That's why the personal questions were a bad idea. The man was suddenly gaining awareness of being manipulated, and would surely suffocate, which would alert this whole building of us intruding'

Itachi stopped and adjusted the cloak so that it would hide his face. The cameras were everywhere. But he didn't like this. He didn't like this one bit. This mind-controlling thing, the memory-eraser stolen, people like puppets.

What are you doing?

He didn't like this one bit.

Something was wrong. Itachi scanned the area, but that wasn't it. The corridors were empty and the doors locked, but the map Akatsuki had sent them, was burnt into his and Naruto's memories, so that wasn't a problem.

Kyuubi was.

Quickly agent Raven turned Sharingan up – stage 2, and examined the physical condition of his partner. A wave of energy, destructive, gone through the boy's nervous system. He could almost feel the nausea Naruto felt. And pain that made his breath hitch. But as suddenly as it appeared it was gone.

'What's with the eyes?' Kyuubi asked as he looked up at Itachi. Usually while on the mission Raven's eyes coloured deep crimson, like Naruto's, but now they had black dots around the pupil.

'Higher level of technique. Kyuubi, physical condition status'

That was an order that Itachi knew Naruto wouldn't be able to lie about. He could feel the boy would lie and make his problems insignificant, but it was a rule every high class agent of Justice was taught to never lie to a partner when asked for any sort of report. Such information was crucial to the mission.

'Worse than a usual fit, better than what happened yesterday night'

'Should we retreat then?'

Naruto shook his head.

'No. I can handle it. Akatsuki made it clear that my health is second to mission'

Itachi didn't like this at all.

Two floors up on the elevator that was probably made a hundred years ago. No cameras though. The room, Akatsuki wanted them to visit, was situated on their right, and it needed an eye scan in order to open it. Inside was top secret information.

'What now? I could break this metal easily, but that will draw attention and limit time'

'Sharingan then'

'Raven, this won't work'

'You do know that Sharingan has more than one stage, right? My possibilities are high'

Naruto was right, of course. This thing would only let in the owner of the eyes, and no type of hypnotizing could fool a machine. But if Itachi was right…

Despite endangering his and Naruto's lives, he hoped he was wrong. Terribly wrong, but that would be better than…

Sharingan, stage 3. Mangekyu.

Access denied.

No alarms. That was good. That was great, but there was still a chance, that Itachi was right after all and before he checked it, proved himself wrong, he wouldn't be able to breathe normally.

Sharingan. Back to stage 2.

Processing…

They didn't get to find out, as somebody opened the door from the inside. Kyuubi jumped quickly out of the newcomer's view and kneeled, ready to attack and cover his partner.

White long hair and a calm face. Just like on the picture. Kimimaro. No sign of alarm yet. Might have thought Raven was one of his men. Time to brainwash.

'I thought you were going to come back next month. Akatsuki are still bitter about their weapon'

Calm down, he said to himself. Sharingan, stage 1. Inserting hallucination.

'I know. Had to escape them on my way to the hideout'

'Shit, how did they find out?'

'They always knew'

Raven felt the words burn him to the core, as if this was the damned Justice saying, not him, and he needed to get out of here, or else…

'Shit!'

Or else he'd destroy this whole place, Akatsuki and himself.

The sound of claws ripping the metal of some door alarmed him and Kimimaro. Naruto was mutating.

'Quick, it's…'

Raven fired the suffogun, and the criminal fell on the floor. That wouldn't last, the guy had a natural ability to fight this off. Although he did have the same incurable illness Sasuke had. But that's off topic.

Kyuubi squirmed in pain on the floor, and for a second his eyes seemed inhuman to Itachi. Stop it, he ordered himself. Stop hating him, you have to save him. Otherwise…

What would happen otherwise, Itachi didn't want to think about. It was a common practice to kill the partner on the place, if he was unable to continue with the mission in the critical moment. Better to not let information leak plus not endanger the second agent of Justice. But at the moment Itachi didn't want to be alone. Yes. That's it.

Guess, the boy was right about trusting him.

Raven forced Naruto on his legs, but he was unable to even hold himself upright. The time was running out. Itachi lifted him.

'You're bloody heavy, turn the fucking thing off, or I'll be unable…'

'Can't'

Lost cause. The mutation wouldn't turn off, after all it was the bloody reason of this whole mess. Raven fired the second suffobullet into the man on the floor, who started to stand up. But this time it didn't work. Fine. Good old bullets then. Three in the liver and lungs were enough to disable the guy, and, possibly, kill on the spot. After all, you can develop a genetic resistance to suffocation chemical, to flesh-eating bacteria, but you can't really resist the iron piercing your organs.

No time for thinking. They had to get out of here. Akatsuki would want information, but Raven wouldn't risk his partner's life right now.

Alarm. Itachi turned to look at Kimimaro, whom they passed slowly, since Naruto hardly walked. The guy was probably really loyal to his master. Despite everything, he somehow managed to take out his mobile and call somebody.

The whole building knew of them now.

Fuck.

Quickly into the elevator. Itachi shut the door and pushed a number, but then, when everything started moving he pushed emergency stop.

'Naruto, listen' he said.

'Yeah'

Every breath was a victory, every movement so painful he wanted to scream in agony. But he wouldn't. Because they'd notice.

'Just keep breathing and everything will be fine' he heard but didn't dare turn his head to see his partner. 'Everything will be fine, I promise you, Naruto'.

'Raven. Calm down. You're totally unprofessional' Kyuubi croaked. Unless one of them acts calm and composed, they're both going to die. And Naruto was in no shape to be composed.

'Yes. You're right. Ok, listen. At the moment I've stopped the elevator in between the third and second floors. They don't have cameras here, so they will not realize where we are for a while'

'Five minutes at most' Naruto concluded.

'Yes. Enough time for me to get back to the information room, send a virus into the security system, so as to delete all data on us, and find a proper escape root'

'Escape root I won't be able to walk on?'

Sarcasm wasn't helping, and wasn't professional, but Kyuubi couldn't help himself now, it was all too painful, too bloody annoying, and among everything else he craved blood. Itachi's blood and nobody else's, so the sooner the man would leave, the better.

'I'll also search for some drugs. If I cannot find any, you'll fucking walk, whether you like it or not, because I'm not leaving you here to die'

Just like that, the man turned and started searching for something in his cloak pockets. Naruto stared, forgetting for a second about the pain. Itachi was acting really unprofessional, and he was scared, he could feel it, but Uchiha would not leave him. He wouldn't, and that was reassuring.

'Itachi…'

'Here's an analgetic tablet. It's not too strong, but it will ease your pain enough to help you think clearly'

The Raven pushed Naruto a bit up and against the wall, put the tablet into his mouth and brought a small bottle of water. Kyuubi swallowed.

'Itachi'

'Yes' the man said as he turned to remove the ventilation array on the ceiling.

'Can I… taste your blood?'

'When everything's over, Naruto, you can, but at the moment, time's running out'

Raven didn't even seem surprised, but sounded quite aware of what exactly his partner was requesting of him. In one second he climbed out of the elevator cabin and was gone. Naruto was alone.

Itachi jumped up, avoiding the electrified ropes, holding the elevator. He could see among the spider webs and lots of dirt some rays of light, coming from another ventilation system. But not big enough to fit his body. He'll have to come back the way he left. Raven activated his magnetic shoes and gloves and jumped on the wall, quickly running up to the elevator doors. He needed to open them and he couldn't stand there for long, since magnetism wasn't that effective, so he fired the harpoon and hung on the level of the doors. Somewhere here were wires.

Itachi removed the metal plate and found what he needed. In a flash the doors opened.

There were people, as he expected, ready to fire at him. Necroguns, huh? He had one of his own. Twisting his body to avoid the bullets, he jumped into the corridor, taking out his own two guns and firing. It didn't matter where he touched the guy with the necrobullet, as long as it got inside the body. But with simple iron bullets in his right hand he aimed in the head.

Screams of pain loud enough to alarm more people. He didn't have much time.

Sharingan stage 3. Mangekyu. Connection to the main information base. Deleting data.

Naruto heard a noise. He could hear people on the second floor talking and pushing buttons, and it annoyed him. He was trying to relax and breathe.

But then he started moving.

Holy shit.

They found out where he was.

'Secure the third floor. The second guy has put out a couple of ours'

Itachi was in trouble too. Guess, Naruto had to say good bye to breathing.

The doors slowly and loudly slid open to reveal a teen, covered in sweat, with blood running from his nose down to his chin and neck. Guns and other weapons ready to fire. But then the boy looked up at them and smiled.

'Hey guys, what's your name?'

Seconds were golden, Kyuubi knew this, as he plunged at the men, still unable to function properly, and ripped them with his claws and fangs. He wanted blood – there it was, enough to boost his foul mood.

More men came, and bullets – any type, were running out. He was trapped inside the information room, unable to finish deleting data, unable to find any escape routes. And they probably found Naruto already.

Fuck.

He needed to fool them, and he knew it, but he didn't have anything but guns and a harpoon. He meant to take the smoke bombs from Kyuubi, but his last question about blood distracted him. However, he was in control of the lighting, as it all was in this room. Good.

The light went out and something ripped through the wall on the left of the guards. Suddenly, the light bulbs exploded, causing havoc, disorienting, but in the flash, they could see a figure running fast on the metallic cable connected to a wall by the harpoon. That was the last thing they saw as the bullets hit them.

Itachi continued running, up the wall to the ceiling, firing at the newcomers with his bulletguns. There had to be a pause. Just a tiny three seconds. They would be enough.

Quickly he jumped down when the gap of time was created, and ran to the medical room. Down the corridor, second on the left. Nobody here yet. Quickly, some medication for Naruto. Otherwise they wouldn't be able to run away fast enough. Drugs, drugs, drugs. Morphine. Good. Syringe, alcohol.

The door exploded and the men started firing. Simple bullets. No harm in one grazing the hand. In a flash the two men were threaded on a cable of a harpoon. But there were more, and the bullets were running out.

A smoke bomb. Itachi grabbed the medication quickly, as he heard a roar and some other ripping through flesh sounds. Naruto was here.

Sharingan, stage 2. He could see the body heat of his partner, and with his animal instincts right now, the boy sensed him too. Quickly, they ran down the corridor and locked themselves in the first room they saw. Bathroom.

'Here, quickly, inject the morphine'

'Did you find any escape routes?'

'Hadn't had time. You ok?'

'As soon as morphine kicks in, I'll be better than ever'

'Don't take too much, or…'

'Don't worry, I won't fall asleep'

'Fine. We can jump out the window'

Naruto examined the window and shook his head.

'Too small, Raven. We might not get out easy enough'

'Not mentioning it's the third floor, and there are a couple other windows people might fire at us from. No choice though'

'Ok, fine, I'm going first then. Do not argue'

Quickly, as he sensed the people getting closer to their room, Naruto climbed out the window and jumped. Itachi followed suit.

Bullets didn't reach them, but the glass hit Raven's side. Doesn't matter. Somebody was running up to Naruto, but suddenly, as the boy said something, the person was puzzled and unable to move.

'M-my… name?' the guy mumbled, as Itachi passed him. Good idea, Kyuubi.

'Raven, behind you'

Itachi jumped, avoiding necrobullets, turned in the air, knocking out the guy's gun and then kicking him over the head.

'What's your name?' he heard Kyuubi shouting at the couple of guards.

'Quickly, we need to escape through sewage'

'Ew, why?'

'The electricity activated on the exit, too high to jump'

'I could'

'Kyuubi, it's too high even for you'

'Fine, it's over there, see?'

'Hurry up'

* * *

Naruto removed the glass from Itachi's side and sent him showering first. While the man was washing, he secured all the doors and informed Akatsuki they needed a new hideout. The voice on the other line said the new apartment would be ready in five hours.

Itachi's injuries weren't that serious, so Naruto simply bandaged them, surprised the man didn't get all bastardly with a stick up his ass, saying he could do everything himself. Then Uzumaki went to shower.

The morphine was probably still working, since Itachi noticed, Naruto couldn't deactivate his mutation. Eyes were still blazing red, and bodily functions were all haywire. He wouldn't be surprised if the boy threw up with blood.

'Did you call the organization?' he asked as soon as Naruto left the bathroom. He seemed a bit green. Maybe he did throw up after all.

'Yeah. We'll need to move in five hours. I've got the address'

'What about your mutation?'

'Didn't bother them. Told me they'd bring me some special drugs in the new apartment, but otherwise, the full examination will be after the completion of the mission'

This was… worth getting angry about.

'Motherfuckers'

'Itachi'

'Yes'

'They're obviously trying to get rid of me, that's all. I'm not needed anymore, my mutation is getting out of control, so they simply wait until someone kills me'

As an agent of Justice, Itachi has experienced situations when the organization tried to get his partner out of the way. A bit less frequently the partners were aware of their soon coming death. And it shouldn't have bothered Raven, it never did much, apart from constant questioning of Justice with its closed eyes, but right now Itachi couldn't just sit and watch.

'And what are you planning to do?'

He didn't want his newfound friendship to end. Telling the organization that Uzumaki was the awesome partner that worked really good with him would be idiotic. They would kill them both.

'I'm planning to kiss you'

Itachi looked at the boy, whose eyes had only a little red in them, mutation calming down, bodily functions now in a special mode, normal for any human being. Arousal. And a smile. Huge and genuine.

'You also promised me I could taste your blood'

'I did' Itachi confirmed as Naruto kneeled in front of him on the floor, where he sat leaning on the sofa. Their lips were very close, breaths mingling.

'They're trying to get rid of you too' Naruto said, not kissing the man yet, clutching Itachi's long hair and threading his fingers through it. It was still wet after the shower and not tied up. Beautiful.

'I know' he answered and kissed Naruto. Finally. Finally he could taste those lips. Sharp pain. The teen bit Itachi. Blood was sucked from his lips. But not much. It was intoxicating.

It was intoxicating, that blood, but Naruto wouldn't get too fanatic. It would harm Itachi, and the only thing he wanted was… he didn't quite know, but he craved not to destroy the man, but to simply touch him, feel him, and stay the part of him. After all, they might die tomorrow, they might die today even, and there would be nothing left, not even a memory, because Akatsuki would get the stupid memory-eraser and make everyone who ever knew Naruto and Itachi, forget they ever existed.

Clothes. Why were they ever invented? Itachi's shirt was ripped off and the pants hurriedly pulled down to the ankles, while Naruto's underpants taken off quickly, but calmly. Naked. Touching, kissing, tasting each other's skin. The teen sucked at Itachi's pulse, fighting the desperate desire to bite and drink blood. No, he already tasted it, he wouldn't harm the man. He didn't want to.

Sex was different. Not like those girls in the brothels, Itachi used to get rid of the tension, not like Sasuke, with whom for Naruto it felt like crying. The desperate urge to get to the peak, but some sort of sadistic and masochistic desire to never let it end, to burn this picture of the man on top of him into his memory, of the now clear-blue eyes, and never forget, not even after death.

They didn't want to die though. Not yet. Not ever maybe. Not while they had each other. So they needed a plan.

And also, they needed to visit Sasuke.

* * *

**TBC**

* * *

**So, did you like this chapter? Why do you think they need to visit Sasuke? Or was I too obvious? Review please))))**


	7. Chapter 6 Loveproof

Name: Bulletproof  
Rating: T, just to be on a safe side  
Pairing: ItaNaru  
Disclaimer: Kishimoto only owns the characters, I own the fantasy!  
Warnings: AU, future sort-of, some violence, character death (minor one).  
**Summary:** Naruto Uzumaki, code name Kyuubi, the young agent of Justice in the organisation of Akatsuki gets to work in pair with the legendary Uchiha Itachi, code name Raven, on a top secret mission of retreating the stolen memory-eraser. But their paths and missions are different and their pasts are what nobody deserves to live through, and they hurt each other too much to let love save their souls. The question arises in both their hands. What is Justice?

Hey, guys, yeah, I know, it's been a long time and I can't promise you anything anymore. I write when I have time and inspiration, which is not that often anymore. But I hope you still like this chapter.

* * *

**Chapter 6**  
**Loveproof**

* * *

Medicine barely helped. It would soothe the pain and stop the progression of the fit, but it wouldn't make it go away. The fits increased in frequency as well. Twice, sometimes three times a day, and thoughts of _Blood, blood, running in his veins, tasty, beautiful blood _didn't leave Naruto for a second.

The only good thing was that Itachi was back in their new hideout, researching, how he liked to call it, on internet, and Naruto was outside, researching in person. Apparently with Uchiha's special vision, he could hack computers like a pro, and virtually create viruses just by blinking his eyes, or squinting, or whatever Itachi did.

Naruto was better in personal acquaintances. Even if he had to suffer through his fits.

It was better this way anyway. At least for a short period of time he got to be himself, even if he was pretending.

That sounded really messed up.

That's probably what all agents of Justice are. Then the question arises: should these mentally unstable, angry and sad people be the ones in charge of deciding on what Justice was?

Doesn't matter. He'll soon betray the organisation anyway.

Now if only they could find Sasuke.

Itachi didn't make it quite clear why the hell did he suddenly need his brother, but Naruto took it, it had to do somehow with whatever happened back in that Kimimaro's hideout. Hypnotised people who don't know their own names, pretty strange and mysterious, but that's probably the worst that there was.

But the Uchiha had a different idea, divided their actions, and since that one night two months ago, when the two of them… well, you could call it sex, yeah. That's what they were doing anyway, and sex is supposed to feel incredible. So yeah, sex. Although is it supposed to feel this incredible?

So since two months ago Naruto hasn't seen Itachi apart from the few times he came back to rest or to get more medicine.

The hospital, where they supposedly held Sasuke, was for criminals of a high rank or something. You wouldn't be let out no matter what, but whomever Naruto asked, kept answering he went home under the surveillance of a police officer in order to mourn the tragic death of his family.

Brainwashed.

According to the nurse he left six months ago, and by that time Itachi never even heard of an order like that from the organisation. Sasuke might as well disappear, and no one will know. Without Akatsuki's resources at least it's impossible to track him down.

He and Itachi didn't want to get Akatsuki on Sasuke's tail.

However, some time or another ex-best friend would need to receive treatment.

He was dying after all.

Memory is mostly recorded through the eyes. We hardly ever remember how something smelled or sounded, but how it looked. And alternatively – that's the first thing to forget. And so, when there is an overload of recorded material in the brain, and it fails to get rid of it due to this illness, the brain shuts down the eyesight, destroying all the neurons and elements inside.

That is excruciatingly painful.

The next to go is hearing. The person suffering would often hear something they once heard in their past: a memory. But other times it's as if all the trains in the world decided to go past you at the same time. Deafening. At least you wish you were deaf.

The senses of smell and taste go next. Probably the least painful of all the stages.

And finally the touch. That's probably when the brain fries up from all the pain shooting up each and every nerve in the body. If that doesn't kill you, then wait for the flu.

The illness is called the Bulletproof disease, since once one of the patients put a bullet through his own head, but the disease didn't stop developing until his whole brain fried up.

So Sasuke would need to check in to the hospital from time to time if he wanted to live long enough to accomplish his mission. Whatever it might be.

This actually made Itachi and Naruto's job much easier. They just needed to find the right hospital. Uchiha checked for any corrupted data online, while Naruto went in person, searching for any signs of brainwashing.

Which meant he had to act normal and pretend he had someone in the hospital he was looking for, while asking people around, sometimes taking weeks in order to ask everyone working there, just because people had different shifts.

His phone vibrated.

He looked at it. Unknown number, but not anonymous.

Not Akatsuki then.

Jiraya.

And then he turned his head. Right there in the cafeteria stood his step-father. Knees wobbling, eyes watering, lips trembling. A phone by his ear.

The man didn't say anything. No. He just moved his lips, but agent Kyuubi got it all.

'Son'

He accidentally snapped his phone in two.

The man looked old. Much older than he really was. And shattered. Lost his two loved ones. Naruto didn't understand how he could still breathe. If he…

He himself thought he forgot how to.

A trembling hand. Waving.

And Naruto turned away. That's right, one step at a time, this is better for both of them, Jiraya will suffer but he'll at least stay alive.

One step at a time. Away. One. Two. One…

Fuck.

He turned around and ran back, into the cafeteria, almost knocking them both on the floor.

And for a second there he felt as if he was still a little kid, a boy, a teenager maybe, with his family and with hopes. Everything's gonna be ok. It will be ok. I will be ok.

Right?

Jiraya had him in a bone crushing hug. To the point of suffocating. Almost. But that was ok. Naruto hugged back with just as much force.

His shoulder got wet.

'I'll text you. I'll buy a new phone and text you. Just… don't try to find me anymore'

His step-father's body started shaking.

'I don't want anything bad happening to you'

'But Naruto…' the man looked at him finally, eyes sad, horribly sad, like nothing he ever saw in this world. None of those agents of Justice ever were as sad as this man in front of Naruto. 'I don't want anything bad happening to _you_'

'I have to go'

He quickly left even though the screams of his name could still be heard when the nurses tried to restrain him.

Didn't even ask why Jiraya was in the hospital.

'So how was it?'

'Didn't get a chance to look around much'

'Problems?'

Here Itachi leaned his head in Naruto's direction as if he was really interested. But in all actuality his red eyes (Sharingan. Stage 1) never left the screen. So Uzumaki lied.

'Just too many people to inspect'

This earned a nod, and then all attention was back on the screen.

If it ever was on him in the first place.

Ever since they had sex that one time before they moved to a new hideout, Itachi kept his distance. He didn't speak much apart from important mission discussions, didn't look much at Naruto, didn't do anything much at all other than searching for his brother from the comfort of his computer.

Maybe Naruto imagined this whole trust and… _emotion_ between them. Just a partner. An expendable one.

He couldn't avoid the hospital, since it would be terribly unprofessional as well as he could miss some important piece of information. So he went back. Hiding behind sunglasses and a wig. Checked in the medical records for Jiraya.

Cancer.

A young woman with long black hair stumbled into men's bathroom when Naruto was leaving and then left in a hurry. Accidentally went into the wrong one.

She had beautiful eyes, Naruto thought, and watching her hair sway as she left in a hurry or embarrassment agent Kyuubi let himself think of that night with Itachi. Of the passion burning them both from the inside, the long strange meaningful probably looks into each others' eyes, the way… What would Jiraya think if he knew Naruto was gay?

Or he wouldn't care as long as his step-son was back by his side, or better, never stolen by Akatsuki?

The woman was talking to one of the nurses, signing papers, Kyuubi noticed, accidentally still watching her, as his mind wandered back to his, Naruto's, problems. He still felt nauseous after his last fit, and the contours of the world melted slightly, or the figures would shake.

All but this woman, though. She seemed as if two-layered, so that her body itself stayed completely clear, as if painted or generated by a computer on a watery surface, and some other figure, not in a dress, not with long, although still dark hair, was shaking and wobbling outside of her contours, like every other human in the vicinity of Naruto's eyesight.

The sixth sense was so conveniently still on, despite the latest fit.

'I found Sasuke'

A simple phrase. It made Itachi finally look at him. At that small split of a second Naruto wanted to kill him.

But no. Of course not. They're just partners, they just had sex once, and it wasn't special. At all.

'How did you know it's him?'

'He created an illusion, like a really huge one, so that everyone looking at him would think they see a woman. But my Kyuubi sense managed to see through'

'How? Sharingan is usually difficult to resist'

'My fits heighten my sensibility'

'I see'

And nothing. No 'thank you', no 'well done', no 'hey, are you sure you're ok?'

What did he want? He was supposed to be agent Kyuubi, professional, the only one graduating at 16 despite the difficulty of controlling such a violent mutation, and all the pain he had to live with every second of every hour of every day.

Why was he so emotional again?

He went to bed first. Itachi still stayed there somewhere, despite the computer being turned off. Kyuubi let him feel stuff like that.

When Itachi was passing his room, Naruto listened to the steps.

"I saw my step-father yesterday, by the way" he whispered, as if speaking to cold agent Raven, who has just closed the door to his own bedroom. "He was crying" A barely-comprehendible whisper. "He wanted me to be ok" Itachi would've ignored him, but Naruto wished for sympathy. "I wanted to leave with him and for Akatsuki to somehow die, be destroyed, so that everything would be normal again" For his tears to be buried in someone's shoulder, shirt, whatever. Someone's whatever.

"And now he's dying"

Everything was according to plan. Akatsuki would call in the evening, and they should better come up with a story, but that didn't matter.

Naruto threw up blood this morning, but that didn't matter either.

Itachi explained it all. Sasuke has the memory-eraser. Sasuke was the one behind the whole secret base with Kimimaro and others, his eyes manipulating, programming people as his guards. Sasuke has the memory-eraser.

They went into the hospital bright and early. A wig for Naruto, contact lenses, Itachi insisted, although they burnt like hell and made his eyes tear up every five minutes. Itachi opted for jeans and a t-shirt. No point in hiding with illusions if Sasuke could detect them. Plus, despite the younger Uchiha's 'transformation' into a woman, he still looked rather similar to his male self, and therefore, to Itachi. That way they might get information without actually breaking the illusion.

'Kyuubi' Itachi said in this very cold voice of his, that made Naruto angry despite himself, despite his professionalism and whatever else he acquired from many years of training for Akatsuki. 'I trust you…'

Here Itachi stumbled with words. As if he forgot the line he was supposed to say, or struggled to keep some sort of act. "I trust you'll be able to deal with the situation rationally, if the situation presents itself when I'm affected by selfish emotions'

Naruto said nothing.

The nurse was unable to give them information – programmed. Agent Raven dealt with her with Sharingan. Stage 3 – Mangekyuo.

"His is only up to stage 2" he explained.

Room 102. Sasuke Uchiha was in room 102.

The room before that had a glass window. There was an emergency. Nurses and paramedics tried to save someone's life. Naruto leaned in to watch. Terribly unprofessional to stop, despite the seriousness of the mission, the secrecy of it.

Unprofessional to be more interested in the occupant of room 101 instead. Unprofessional to dub that room – his deepest worst fear.

Unprofessional to let tears run down his cheeks, as the heart monitor went in a straight line, never returning to small beats (even small ones are better than nothing, please, please, oh God, if you exist…).

Agent Raven didn't notice. "Why are you standing there?" He didn't notice, Naruto told himself and calmed down. It doesn't matter and he will go on. He will.

Go on.

Room 102 was closed shut. It didn't have a glass-window. Itachi opened the door, and they saw a woman. A beautiful woman, whose silhouette melted and shook, almost transparent. An illusion strong enough to make thousands of people believe in it. Not enough for a violent mutation Kyuubi, nor for another Sharingan user. She moved her lips to utter something.

Something like: "I said no visitors"

But they didn't listen to her words.

Through her black eyes burned red with black commas. His mouth unmoving.

A lie.

No words needed when you can make a person believe the conversation in their heads.

Sasuke's probably been using this sort of communication for years now.

"Sasuke" Itachi said.

The other didn't react. Just staring into space, as if confused why his illusion isn't working.

"Sasuke" he said louder.

And suddenly the teen shuddered. His eyes melted from red into some sort of pale grey, and Naruto noticed for the first time, that his friend looked extremely thin.

"Brother?" he asked.

He was blind and almost deaf now.

"Sasuke" Itachi said.

"No!"

Such a violent scream, that could have alarmed the whole hospital, but Itachi had it under control (Sharingan – stage 2).

"No, get out! I won't give it to you! I won't give it back!"

"So you do have the memory-eraser"

"Shut up! You won't get it! I need it, I-"

He started convulsing, screaming, incoherently. Itachi didn't know what to do. Only saying, as if stupefied, as if the name itself was a surprise for him to utter: "Sasuke… Sasuke"

Naruto had to do something.

"Sasuke" he called.

God, Sasuke, how you aged. How horribly old you seem now, even though you're only seventeen. What has become of you, my once lover? I had loved you, you know. I could have done something!

What a stupidity, to believe that. Nothing could have been changed. Akatsuki take what they want, the rest is thrown away.

Justice has its eyes closed, because it's not justice at all and perhaps, there is no justice in this world, but a very well concealed thirst for power.

Uchiha stopped. Halted all at the same time, as if everything, all his armour has been removed, and he slumped, weightless, weak, even smaller than he seemed before.

"Naruto?" he said, and his voice, just this word spoke so much, as if the two of them never needed a language, but just this, just 'Naruto' and 'Sasuke'. All – absolutely everything about those nights, every night, when Sasuke would think of him, look back at the time they shared, their friendship, their love, all those 'I would have changed it', 'would have never shot you ever again', all those 'now it's lost, all lost, in time, in that memory' – could be heard.

Sasuke, I loved you. Oh, how I loved you.

I loved you too, Naruto.

Lost.

Memory.

Death.

Death…

"It's me, Sasuke" he said, coming closer, not too close, afraid to break this man in front of him with a blow of the wind. "You've got the memory-eraser" Not a question.

"Yes, I have it, Naruto…" a whisper.

"It was you, who tracked us back when we found out about Kimimaro"

"Yes"

"You programmed those people on that secret base"

"I did"

"You need the memory-eraser to get rid of your illness"

Sasuke didn't answer, but that was never a question. With the beginnings of another fit Naruto felt waves and waves of shock, coming from Itachi. And pain. Oh, how much pain.

"They'll execute you" he croaked, as if Uchiha's windpipe was crushed. "They'll never let you live"

"Yes. Still, worth a hope"

Sasuke was blind and didn't see Itachi's tears. Naruto did though.

They were agents of justice. They had to fulfil their duty, unless they wanted a painful death, penalty for treason, their dearest ones, if such existed, killed.

Killed in the same way they killed his parents.

Tied to the chairs, with needles under their nails, organs ripped out of their bodies and fed to them.

Blood everywhere, death everywhere, the horrible stench of vomit, the copper taste in his mouth…

His body heavy, like iron, like mom's kettle filled with water, also sprayed with blood. They poured boiling water on her face. On her breasts. On her thighs.

She screamed.

And Sasuke has to die in a similar manner.

He is a criminal.

He killed people.

He robbed banks.

He stole a top secret weapon from Akatsuki.

It seemed he wanted to die up until he got ill. And then, suddenly, a desire to live, so so strong, as if he was a completely different person, sprung to life.

And Naruto understood that. He felt the same thing when he witnessed his parents' death. He wanted to die, but then, once the mutation filled his body with pain, he only hoped please, please, God, let this end, let me wake up happy again, let me, please, oh please, wake up!

But now he was dying from his too violent mutation. It was devouring him from the inside, it was hurting him, hurting others. Itachi still had the scar from that time, when they crashed into a glass table.

Itachi hated him for his mutation. Itachi didn't love him.

And Naruto…

If only his life was different.

With Tsunade still alive. With his parents still there. Waiting for him back in their home.

Naruto wouldn't need to execute his own best friend.

His once lover.

"I have to…" agent Raven spoke in a broken voice. He was barely standing still. "to confiscate the memory-eraser from you, Sasuke"

The other man shook his head, frightened. Disillusioned, hoping despite everything. No.

No, please.

"Sasuke, I have to"

I have to.

Naruto shuddered, as another flash of pain doubled him over.

I have to.

_I have to go_, that's what he said to Jiraya. Why did he have to and whom did he owe anything?

I have to go, as if something so stupid, so trivial, like justice, that no one could ever completely get, could be more important than his step-father, who cared for him, who loved him, whom he loved.

'_I don't want anything bad happening to you'_

'_But Naruto… 'I don't want anything bad happening to __**you**__'_

And now Jiraya's dead. Room 101.

"Do not" he said. "Do not speak about what you have to do" he told Itachi.

"Kyuubi, this isn't-"

"This isn't what, Itachi? This isn't the time and place? This isn't a horrible thing to say to a dying person? This isn't your brother?"

"This isn't rational, agent Kyuubi, and we have to-"

"Rational? Rational? Why isn't it? Do you think it's irrational in this given situation to protect your brother? To want someone of your own blood to get better? To live? What's irrational, Uchiha, is to let your little brother be killed by Akatsuki for pretentious reasons, or better say, without reason at all! Do you think he in such a state would be able to steal a top-secret highly protected weapon? Do you think it's totally fine that the organisation knew all the info we needed before we even requested it? They've already ordered you to kill your whole family. The answer is simple: they think Sharingan is too powerful to be allowed to exist. They'll have you kill all your family, and then they'll kill you"

"Then what should I do? Tell me, what can anyone do? They _will_ find us, they _will _kill us? What can I do to save Sasuke, to save _you_ from them? How can I protect any of you? I can't fight them all. You in your current condition can't fight at all. You'll die and I'll never forgive myself to have sent you for certain death!"

Itachi was shaking now. He was breathing hard, and angry tears ran down his face. Angry and hopeless.

Naruto didn't know what to say.

Sasuke did though.

"Will you ever forgive yourself to have let them kill us willingly?"

_To be continued…_

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_Thoughts? Comments?  
_


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